Catalytic Converter Stolen at the Horner Road Commuter Lot
Last month, one of our rider parked her car at the Horner Road Commuter Lot 3 at about 7:30 AM and slugged to work She returned back to the lot at about 6:30 PM to her car that stalled on her. She said “I had no idea what had happened to the car, just thought my car was dying on me I was able to drive it to my mechanic who is not far from the lot and this morning they looked at it and called me to let me know that the catalytic converter had been stolen. I called the cops this morning and they have asked me to come to the station in person to file a report, but since I am at work right now I will be doing it later today when I get home.”
Police Officer told her that there were about five reports of Catalytic Converters being stolen in the Woodbridge area within the last couple of weeks. Rider said, “The cost of replacing the whole exhaust system will cost me about $1600.00 but at least my insurance will cover it except for my deductible, they were really easy to deal with to my surprise! I should have my car back by Monday or Tuesday!”
Police officers suggested that vehicle owners may engrave the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) number on the Catalytic Converter. The other option is installing dash cam capable of recording on parked mode. Again, none of these are going to stop the theft, but may help identifying the thief. Last month there were many thefts, some caught on the camera.
There are companies that buy these Catalytic Converters anywhere between $100 – $400 depending on the model and sellers can just mail them for about $25. It is not clear if they reuse them or scrap them for material. There are some know issues with these buyers.
2 comments
This is horrible! We bust our humps to do the right thing only to come home to discover that we have been victimized! In December 2019, approximately 23 converters were removed from vehicles parked at the Gordon Rd commuter lot.
I’m so glad you’re posting about this! Last month, a few weeks before Christmas, someone creeped under my Toyota 4Runner and sawed off my catalytic converter. It was not me alone that day, there were two other people. I was able to sluggishly drive my truck home, but I felt so bad for the older gentleman who wouldn’t even drive his little Honda Civic anymore. He had to call his son to pick him up.
We called the police and made statements at the Horner lot. And and yes, I was out of $1500 just like that. The cops (PWCP) told me that the county was thinking of installing cameras again but nothing was promised. I have not parked at the Horner lot this year thus far, I’m still monitoring the situation. The idea of a dash camera is something I’m definitely putting in consideration because it’s such a huge insult for someone to turn my car into a race car without my permission. I would love to look these thugs in the eye and ask them a few soul-searching questions! !