South River Man Charged With Theft For Buying Stolen Car Parts

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — A South River man was arrested and charged with theft for buying stolen catalytic converters, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said Tuesday.

Jozef Kiszka, 42, of 63 Darrow Street, South River was charged with third-degree dealing in stolen property, third-degree conspiracy to commit theft and third-degree theft of movable property of multiple victims.

The charges stem from a month-long investigation by detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations.

According to authorities, Kiszka unlawfully purchased stolen catalytic converters from multiple individuals. On Wednesday, March 23, detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office arrested Kiszka without incident at his place of employment in Woodbridge, Musella said.

He was released pending a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack.

Across New Jersey, police reported a spike in catalytic converter thefts, with cars being hit throughout Central and North Jersey.

Thieves slice off converters from the underside of cars and then sell them at a high mark-up at either auto body shops or junkyards.

A catalytic converter is found in a car's undercarriage and is designed to reduce the pollutants and toxic gases the engine produces.

Catalytic converters are made out of precious metals, including platinum, and right now they can be re-sold at a very high mark-up on the black market. Palladium, another precious metal used in converters, is also selling at an all-time high right now due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

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