Rising thefts of catalytic converters from cars Berks Regional News

CARNAVON GARED, Pennsylvania – Detective Corporal Chad Eberley of the Carnarvon Police Department says the number of metal thefts has been rising recently.

More recently, they have seen an increase in the number of people stealing catalytic converters from cars because this part of the car’s exhaust system contains precious metals such as palladium, rhodium and platinum.

“These prices are really high, so only a small amount of this metal will give them a couple hundred bucks or a couple thousand dollars depending on the brand and manufacturer of this catalytic converter,” Det says. Corporal Eberley.

Police say someone was filmed on May 30 as he cut out two catalysts from under a Ford F250 parked at the Classic Auto mall in Morgantown.

Less than two hours later, a similar incident involving a suspect and a description of the vehicle occurred in the town of East Whiteland in Chester County.

“We find that these guys are using electric pillows and they come in and out in about 5 minutes,” says Det. Eberly Corporation.

According to a local mechanic, you’ll still be able to start the car if your catalytic converter has been turned off, but there will be many signs that something is wrong, especially how loud the car will be.

Police say they are talking to scrap metal dealers and from the pages, but this type of crime is difficult to track.

If you have information about these incidents or identify a suspect, contact the Carnarvon City Police Department at 610-286-1012.