AUSTIN, Texas — A locally owned RV dealership in southeast Austin was recently burglarized, with the alleged thieves taking off with 34 catalytic converters.
According to American Dream Vacations, the converters were nabbed from customers' vehicles over a single night on Feb. 2. Damages are estimated to be close to $100,000.
Catalytic converter thefts have been on the rise across the nation in recent years.
In the summer of 2021, the Austin Police Department had reported nearly 900 cases for the year. While, in 2019, there were only 27 thefts for the entire year. Nationwide, the crime skyrocketed 326% from 2019 to 2020.
Experts say that, in some cases, it can take less than five minutes to remove the part from a vehicle. Catalytic converters are valuable because they contain the precious metals palladium and rhodium.
According to APD, those chemical elements have "increased substantially in value over the last five years and are now an attractive commodity for thieves to resell."
If you have any information regarding this case, contact the Mustang Ridge Police Department.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: