Parts more precious than gold: Catalytic converters sawed off cars in MA so thieves can cash in

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Crime statistics obtained by Boston 25 News show a spike in catalytic converter thefts in some Massachusetts cities this year. The criminals take off with the pricey auto part in a matter of minutes, leaving you with a big bill to fix it.

The reason? Catalytic converters are infused with precious metals that have skyrocketed in cost during the pandemic: platinum, palladium and the really pricey one: rhodium. Rhodium is selling for about $28,000 per ounce right now, that’s 15-times the price of gold.

Thieves often target hybrid vehicles and those with high ground clearance.

In an email to Boston 25 News, a Boston Police spokesperson said, “Catalytic converter theft activity increased in November/December of last year and has been occurring steadily since then.”

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BPD reported 46 thefts in 2021 in the city, more than doubling the 20 reported last year in the same period.

Cambridge Police reported a series of thefts in the Cambridgeport area in January, followed by another surge in the Inman-Harrington and East Cambridge neighborhoods in February. In all, they reported 47 thefts through April 2021. A spokesperson told Boston 25 News that most of those involved Toyota Prius models from 2004-2009.

Worcester Police reported 23 thefts in 2021, with seven in the month of May alone. The below chart maps out where those crimes took place this year and in 2020, along with the most popular makes and model years for cars.

Lawrence Police tell Boston 25 news they’ve also “had a significant increase in recent months” in the crime.

Waltham Police posted the following photo of a catalytic converter theft caught on camera.

The converters are often sold online for more than $1,000 each. Some are in demand in other countries where environmental regulations are growing stricter. If stolen, they can cost thousands of dollars to repair and could result in higher insurance premiums.

To protect your car, there are shields available online.

You would need to have a local auto shop install it. If your catalytic converter is stolen, police say you should call them first before taking it to a mechanic, since they may be able to take fingerprints to help locate the thief.

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