A St. Albert family is facing a massive bill to fix their vehicle after a criminal stole its catalytic converter in the middle of the night.
A Gazette reader, who requested anonymity, called Thursday to report their diesel pick-up truck, parked outside their Deer Run home the night before, had been the target of a thief.
The caller stated her husband had come home the night of May 1 and parked his diesel pick-up in the driveway.
The next day, after starting the truck and driving away, something seemed wrong: the truck sounded “wrong.” The caller took the truck to a garage and, after being examined, it was discovered the catalytic converter had been cut off and stolen from underneath the truck.
“That is an almost $7,000 replacement,” said the angry caller. The garage she spoke to said catalytic converter theft “has been happening a lot.”
She said the theft had been reported to the St. Albert RCMP.
A garage contacted by The Gazette confirmed catalytic converter thefts are not rare, and the thieves seem to be rather brazen.
Tirecraft assistant manager Don Maier said catalytic converters are valuable to thieves. “Because they sell them to scrap them for the platinum that’s in them,” said Maier.
He said one of their customers in the past reported a theft very similar to the one in Deer Run, right from a residential driveway. Maier said Tirecraft has had catalytic converters stolen from vehicles parked on their lot, and a few years ago a St. Albert car dealership had about 20 stolen from brand new vehicles on their lot.
Maier said the thieves use a cordless “saws-all” to cut the catalytic converter right off the vehicle. Asking around his shop how much a used catalytic converter was worth, Maier said he had the figure $100 given to him.
“There’s enough platinum in there that it’s worth their while to do this,” added Maier.
St. Albert RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Laurel Kading said converter theft seems to come and go. “We see rashes of this occur throughout the region,” she said. “But certainly it’s something we keep an eye on.”
Kading said good advice to avoid these thefts is to be aware of where you park. Park in a garage if possible, or under a light. Keep an eye on your neighbourhood and if you see someone who obviously seems out of place, call police.
She also noted leaving vehicles parked in the same spot for long periods of time could attract trouble.
Kading said it’s not clear if the thefts are a local criminal who learns how to steal catalytic converters, or a thief from outside the city.
The caller said she was angry that a thief could damage their property right in their own driveway. “It just angers me so,” she said.
