ROSS TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Exclusive surveillance photos show a red truck that Ross Township police said was involved in the latest catalytic converter theft in our area.
Around 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, the general sales manager of Jim Shorkey North Hills Mitsubishi said thieves hit nine Outlanders because their converters sit low to the ground.
“Just looking at the surveillance footage, it took about 90 seconds, maybe two minutes to get the converter off the vehicle, so they were in and out with all nine converters in about 30 minutes,” said sales manager Bill Driscoll.
The repairs will cost about $10,000, and it will take three to four months to get the parts.
“It’s definitely frustrating. We have a lot of customers waiting for vehicles,” said Driscoll.
Since February, 14 communities have been hit, with about 130 converters stolen. Many of the thefts are from higher-sitting vehicles, like SUVs, because they’re easy to get under.
Ross Township police said some thieves are locals targeting businesses, but there’s also a group effort by organized rings from out of town.
“Detective, we’ve seen so many thefts recently, is an organized crime group behind this?,” asked Channel 11′s Jillian Hartmann.
“Yes, we are seeing an organized group. A lot of them are nomadic, coming from the eastern side of the state and across state lines,” said Detective Michael Orsino for Ross Township Police.
Police said thieves are selling the precious metal inside the converters to scrapyards for hundreds or thousands of dollars.
Multiple police departments are working to see if the thefts are connected. In the meantime, you can buy equipment to protect the catalytic converter.
“You can actually buy equipment to place on the catalytic converters. Places actually sell cages that you can wrap around it,” said Orsino.
Police also suggest businesses install cameras and keep their parking lots lit up at night.
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