BUCKTOWN — Thefts of catalytic converters are on the rise, according to Bucktown residents and a local mechanic who said he has seen five customers who had the pricey parts taken from beneath their cars in the past week.
"I had no idea what was wrong with my car. I thought it was being sabotaged, all of the lights on the panel were on. It sounded like it was going to explode," said a 56-year-old life coach who tried to drive her Honda SUV Tuesday morning.
The woman, who lives in the 1400 block of North Paulina Street, asked not to be named but shared her police report, filed on Tuesday, with DNAinfo Chicago.
Made of precious metals like platinum, palladium or rhodium, catalytic converters are part of an automobile's emissions control system.
Alex Yilmaz, general manager of Bucktown Auto Clinic, 1701 W. North Ave. said that vans, trucks and SUVs are getting targeted because the parts underneath are easier for thieves to steal since the vehicles sit higher from the ground.
Yilmaz said he has seen five customers come in whose catalytic converters were stolen.
Yilmaz said the cost to replace a catalytic converter depends on the car, but it can range between $200 to $2,000, the higher amount if other parts of the car are cut or damaged during the theft, since saws are used.
"On the black market [catalytic converters] are going for $300 to $400. There is gold and platinum in some," Yilmaz said.
The Bucktown woman, who went to Yilmaz's shop, said she spent $1,100 to replace her converter. While the converter was $400, she said the thieves also cut through two computer sensors, which had to be replaced.
"They are mad, angry," Yilmaz said of his converter-replacement customers. "You will fail emissions tests without [the part]. You can drive but it is not good; it would be really loud."
After the woman shared her experience on a private neighborhood watch Facebook page on Tuesday, another Bucktown resident, in the 2200 block of West Cortland Street, said that he had had his catalytic converter stolen recently.
Also on Tuesday, another Bucktown resident, told DNAinfo Chicago that her catalytic converter was stolen around 5 a.m. Tuesday, also from the 2200 block of West Cortland.
"They used a Sawzall to steal it. Be cautious! When I filed police report, I was told this has been an ongoing crime," the woman said.
Shakespeare Police District stats indicate that theft in the area is down, a fact that is not relieving the fears of some concerned residents.
"The Bucktown community has been under siege the last four years with burglaries and thefts like this because of a reduced police presence. We feel that the city should devote more personnel towards our district, so that more criminals can be caught. More visible police act as a deterrent to crime," said Steve Jensen, president of the Bucktown Community Organization.
For folks worried about local crime, there is a Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS) meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Bucktown/Wicker Park library, 1701 N. Milwaukee Ave. Another meeting is set for Thursday in Noble Square too. See details here.
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