Catalytic Converter Stolen From Manalapan Car: Police

MANALAPAN, NJ — A catalytic converter was taken from a resident's car parked in his own driveway on Bunker Hill Drive, police reported.

At about 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 21, the resident reported to police that someone removed the catalytic convertor from the car during the previous night.

Police said the catalytic converter is valued at approximately $1,000.

According to a report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau, the increase in catalytic converter thefts nationally has been dramatic. In 2018, there were 1,298 catalytic converter thefts for which a claim was filed. In 2019, it was 3,389 thefts with a claim.

"In 2020, catalytic converter theft claims jumped massively to 14,433, a 325 percent increase in a single year," the bureau said.

According to the bureau website, a catalytic converter is a device that looks like a small muffler along the exhaust system. It is designed to convert the environmentally hazardous exhaust emitted by the engine and convert them into less harmful gasses. To do this, manufacturers use platinum, palladium, or rhodium.

"In recent years, however, the values of these precious metals have skyrocketed. As of December 2020, rhodium was valued at $14,500 per ounce, palladium at $2,336 per ounce, and platinum going for $1,061 per ounce. Typically, recyclers will pay $50 to $250 per catalytic converter," the bureau said.

• In another incidence of theft, police said a resident reported that sometime between Oct. 21 at 5:30 p.m. and Oct. 22 at 12:30 p.m., three dirt bikes, valued at approximately $9,300, were stolen from a trailer that was parked at a Tennent Road property.

Police also reported the following incidents of criminal mischief involving cars:

• A resident reported that on Oct. 21 that cars parked on his Sobecho Road property were damaged with graffiti. He called police at 5:20 to report that "several vehicles" parked on his property were damaged during the night.
• A Manalapan resident reported damage to the undercarriage of a vehicle that is believed to have take place between Oct. 21 and Oct. 23.

Police are investigating all the incidents.