Thieves Target Car Parts For Metal

A catalytic converter is a small, pollution-control device beneath your car that you'll never see, but if it’s missing, you’ll know right away.

“When I started my car, I heard a big, ‘Vrooom!’” Rock Hill resident Shelly Hunt said.

Her minivan’s catalytic converter was cut off Saturday night while she was at work at Manchester Village.

The van was screaming loudly when she turned the key, she said, and she was worried about getting home safely.

“The next morning, I woke up and I looked under there, and someone had sawed off my catalytic converter,” Hunt said.

The small, oval-shaped device cleans air coming from the engine before it travels through the exhaust system.

The parts are often prime targets for thieves because of the high value of what's inside them. Converters contain small amounts of platinum and other precious metals. Those metals assist in the chemical reaction that helps clean the air coming from cars.

On Friday, platinum was trading at more than $1,500 an ounce. Even junk dealers will pay $60 to $80 a piece for converters.

Bob Kinion, with Premier Automotive in Rock Hill, said converters are easy to steal.

“We have a saw that could get one off in a minute or so," Kinion said. “The vans and SUVs that sit higher off the ground -- it'd be real easy to do.”

In Rock Hill this weekend, there were three reported victims. Two of the vehicles were Toyota SUVs, and the third was Hunt's Chevy van.

Rock Hill police reports show all three thefts happened in high-traffic areas, including the Galleria Mall parking lot, the Super 8 motel on Riverview Road and Manchester Village.

Rock Hill police said they aren't sure if the crimes represent a trend but that they do plan to increase patrols in the areas where the thefts occurred.

“That happens from time to time, but we haven't seen that particular crime in a while," said Lt. Brad Redfearn.

There are no suspects in the thefts, and Redfearn said there is no surveillance video of any of the crimes.

Hunt said she doesn't have the money to replace her converter right now, and her insurance won't cover the loss. She said she can't understand why anyone would stoop so low.

“I'm just really disappointed that you can't park your car somewhere, and somebody not saw something off of it,” she said. “I have four brand-new tires. Why didn't they just take those?”