Thieves stealing valuable part from cars in Westmoreland County neighborhood

YOUNGWOOD, Pa. — Car owners in one neighborhood in a Westmoreland County are being targeted for their catalytic converters.

Some drivers found them cut off from right underneath their cars. It happened just this past week in the Youngwood area -- one driver said they had two cut off their two cars, and a third was nearly sawed off.

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The reason why these are being targeted is because shop owners say they are worth a lot of money.

“Doing it out along the road is pretty brazen. You have to have a battery-powered saw,” said Paul Ereditario, of Car Care #1.

J&K Auto Repair in Youngwood, which sits along Route 119, discovered several cars in its parking lot were also hit. The business said one of the cars even still had the jack sitting underneath it.

Shop owners said thieves are getting about $100 in profit per converter, but the cost of replacing them can be upwards of $600 for the car owner.

Officials said the value of scrap metal is down, so anyone trying to get quick cash is grabbing catalytic converters because they have more value than scrap.

State police were called about these thefts. Anyone with information is asked to give them a call.

Thieves targeting catalytic converters from vehicles for huge profit Thieves targeting catalytic converters from vehicles for huge profit

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