Catalytic Converters, Valuables Stolen From Westfield Cars Last Week: Police

WESTFIELD, NJ — Westfield saw a few car burglaries and thefts last week, according to the most recent police blotter.

Car burglaries, and specifically catalytic converter thefts, have become rampant in the Union County area. Earlier this month, five Summit residents reported catalytic converters stolen from their cars, which Police Chief Steven Zagorski said is part of a nationwide problem.

A catalytic converter is part of a car's exhaust system that converts harmful engine-exhaust pollutants into something less harmful to the environment through a chemical reaction. These are often stolen because they contain metals that aid in the chemical reaction, such as platinum, palladium and rhodium, which are valuable and can be sold for thousands of dollars.

A Westfield resident on the 900 block of Brown Avenue reporter that he found his car's catalytic converter missing on Thursday, Sept. 15, police said. His car was parked in his driveway for about two weeks, according to police.

The exact date and time of the theft is unknown, police said.

Another resident reported a burglary to his car on the 300 block of Scotch Plains Avenue on Saturday, Sept. 17, police said. According to the resident, an unknown individual entered his vehicle, which was parked and unlocked in his driveway, during the early morning hours on Saturday.

Police said the thief stole a diaper bag containing miscellaneous baby items. The resident estimated the total value of stolen items to be about $450, police said.

Lastly, another resident said their car was burglarized while parked in Tamaques Park on Wednesday, Sept. 14, according to police. The resident told police that their purse and wallet were stolen from their car. This included over $100 in U.S. currency, as well as multiple gift cards with unknown balances.

Police said there was no damage to the resident's car.

You can view the entire police blotter on Westfield Police Department's Facebook page.

Have a news tip? Email remy.samuels@patch.com.