BAY SHORE, NY — A catalytic converter was stolen from a vehicle in Bay Shore, Suffolk County police told Patch.
On Thursday, a resident of Peters Boulevard in Bay Shore reported that between August 20 and 22, the catalytic converter was stolen from their 2003 Honda, police said.
The report follows numerous other catalytic converter thefts reported in Suffolk County and around the United States in the last few years.
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In 2023, a Shirley man was sentenced after stealing catalytic converters in Wading River, Patch reported.
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In 2022, an investigation revealed that two Long Island men were part of a multimillion-dollar national catalytic converter theft network.
Find out what's happening in Bay Shorewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Catalytic converters are part of a vehicle’s exhaust system that reduce the toxic gas and pollutants from a vehicle’s internal combustion engine by turning them into safe emissions. Catalytic converters use precious metals in their center and are regularly targeted for theft due to the high monetary value of the metals.
The black-market price for catalytic converters can be more than $1,000 each, depending on the type of vehicle and what state it is from. One also takes less than a minute to steal.
Additionally, catalytic converters often lack unique serial numbers, VIN numbers, or other identifying features, making them difficult to trace to their lawful owner.
According to a report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau, catalytic converter thefts have seen a dramatic increase in recent years.
In 2018, there were 1,298 catalytic converter thefts for which a claim was filed. In 2019, it was 3,389 thefts with a claim. In 2020, catalytic converter theft claims jumped massively to 14,433, a 325 percent increase in a single year.
The thefts typically happen at night and thieves use a reciprocating saw to cut the pipes on either side of the converter, taking just a few minutes.
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