Valuable Car Part Targeted by Thieves

Catalytic converters contain valuable metal that are worth several hundred dollars, and that's likely why they have been targeted by thieves in at least two ooccasions in recent days in Danvers.

The first theft was reported on Monday at Danversport Yacht Club and again on Tuesday outside HomeGoods. In both cases, the theft happened from a sport utility vehicle. The part sits under a vehicle and is required by law. It helps reduce the toxicity of a vehicle's emissions.

On Monday, a driver told Danvers police that they had parked their SUV in the parking lot at Danversport Yacht Club on Saturday. While they were inside someone stole the vehicle's catalytic converter.

And on Tuesday, a driver called police from HomeGoods at Danvers Plaza on Route 1. Police were told that a Lexus RX350 was parked outside the store from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and when they came out the vehicle's catalytic converter was missing.

It's the platinum, palladium or rhodium in a catalytic converter that makes it valuable, according to Nationwide Insurance. The part sells for $100 to $150 at a junk yard, the company says, but can cost $300-$1,000 to replace

Since SUVs and trucks sit higher off the ground, they are more susceptible to the theft, according to Nationwide, that says the prevent the theft drivers should try to park in well lit areas and large parking lots to park near the building entrance or well-traveled roads or driveways.

This is not the first time that catalytic converters have been stolen in Danvers in recent years. Last February, Ira Lexus reported that a catalytic converter had been stolen from one of the vehicles in its lot. In April 2011, U.S. Made Leather reported that a catalytic converter was stolen from a pickup truck outside its Route 1 business.