Catalytic converters taken from vehicles in Murrysville
The latest trend in thefts involving vehicles doesn't involve stealing the vehicle, itself, or items left inside it. Instead, crooks are cutting off what's underneath it.
Since the beginning of April, Murrysville police have been notified that three catalytic converters were removed from vehicles in the municipality. State police were notified of an April 5 theft in Derry and an April 4 theft in Salem Township.
In all cases, the converters — which use precious metals such as platinum, palladium and rhodium to convert harmful engine emissions including nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide into less harmful ones, such as nitrogen and carbon dioxide — were cut and removed from the undercarriage of parked cars.
Murrysville police Chief Tom Seefeld said catalytic converter theft is new to his department.
“We haven't really experienced much of a history with that,” Seefeld said. “I'm hoping this isn't an indication of things to come, but it seems like it's a new craze right now.”
Seefeld said he doesn't know if the rise in thefts is related to a recent price jump.
“Many times, we see (theft) tied back to drug abuse and use — people looking for quick money to get hold of drugs,” he said.
With the prevalence of sport-utility vehicles on the road, Seefeld added, it's even easier for a potential thief to get under a vehicle quickly and remove the converter.
“Criminals are always looking for quick cash,” Seefeld said. “But I think residents' vigilance can help. If someone sees a person underneath a car in a place like Giant Eagle, where car work doesn't normally take place, they need to let us know.”
According to listings for commodities prices on Bloomberg.com, the prices of platinum and palladium have had modest increases since the end of March, but recent prices haven't neared the one-year peak prices of last summer. The price of platinum rose from $1,121 per ounce on March 30 to $1,159 on April 6. An ounce of palladium rose from $740 on March 30 to $775 on April 10.
A price spike followed by a theft spike is not unprecedented: in 2013, the BBC News Service reported that catalytic converter theft in the United Kingdom nearly doubled after a price jump. In 2008, Wired Magazine published a similar story.
For residents seeking to protect their vehicles, Seefeld said, there are several brands of locks available for catalytic converters, including CatLock and CatClamp. They retail for between $100 and $350, depending on the type.
Patrick Varine is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-871-2365 or pvarine@tribweb.com.
