BRIDGEPORT — It was 5:53 a.m. on Oct. 18, in the 2900 block of South Canal Street, when the thieves took a matter of seconds to snatch a catalytic converter off a car, throw it in the trunk and escape.
The crime was caught on the victim's surveillance video system. Here's what the camera captured:
The video, published to the Bridgeport Chicago IL Facebook page, has been turned over to the Chicago Police Department, according to a neighbor of the victim, who remains unidentified.
A police spokesman said the department does not keep a running list of catalytic converter thefts in the area, so it's difficult to tell if there's a trend.
One thing's for certain: Catalytic converters are easy money for criminals.
Why? Precious metals.
Catalytic converters contain platinum, palladium and rhodium among other materials. With the street price of precious metals often soaring, thieves don’t think twice when an opportunity to snatch a converter pops up. A trip to a scrap yard with a stolen catalytic converter can put $100-$150 in a thief’s pocket.
All it takes is is a few passes with a battery-powered saw and 60 seconds to get the job done. SUVs are easy targets because you don’t need a jack to get underneath.
Here’s what the cops say you should do to protect your vehicle from catalytic converter thefts:
• Park in a well-lighted area.
• When you go shopping, park close to the store’s entrance, where there’s a lot of traffic.
• Engrave your license plate number somewhere on the converter to make it traceable.
• Equip your car with a sensitive alarm system so the slightest movement triggers it.
• Have a local mechanic secure the converter by welding hardened pieces of steel to the frame.
• Head to the local auto parts store and buy a theft-stopping device for the converter.
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