Catalytic converter thefts spike in California dailyrepublic.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailyrepublic.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Terrence McNally didn’t notice anything unusual when he got into his Toyota Prius one morning in December.
Then he started the engine.
“It sounded like I had a Harley-Davidson in the back seat,” said the 72-year-old Long Beach resident.
McNally was among a growing number of victims of catalytic converter theft. Every car comes equipped with the device, which is made with precious metals that reduce the vehicle’s toxic emissions, outputting less harmful exhaust like carbon dioxide.
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The parts have become an unusual windfall for thieves, who can make hundreds of dollars selling them to auto parts suppliers or scrapyards. Catalytic converters can be melted and the highly valuable metals, like palladium and rhodium, extracted. Because of the global demand for the critical emission-control devices, just an ounce of the precious metals themselves can be worth thousands of dollars.