Catalytic Converter Thefts Prompt Warning From Brick Police

BRICK, NJ — Brick Township police are urging residents to be alert as catalytic converter thefts continue to increase all across the state.

Thieves use saws to remove the catalytic converter from a vehicle in a matter of minutes, and they target large gas engine vehicles such as work trucks, recreational vehicles, box trucks and vans, as well as hybrid cars, police say.

"If you hear any suspicious noises such as work being done on a vehicle during the middle of the night, or what sounds like cutting metal during the overnight hours, give us a call so we can respond to the area to investigate," Brick police said.

Catalytic converters, part of the vehicle's emissions system, are targeted for theft because they use precious metals — platinum, palladium, or rhodium — to convert harmful gases in the emissions to steam and carbon dioxide, according to Carfax.com.

Those three metals are in high demand in the secondhand market because they are extremely valuable: rhodium was worth $13,000 per ounce as of Tuesday, according to Kitco.com, which tracks the prices of various precious metals. Palladium was at $1,955 per ounce, and platinum was $912 per ounce.