Schumer Calls On DOJ To Help Combat LI Catalytic Converter Thefts

LONG ISLAND, NY — Sen. Charles Schumer is calling on the federal government to step in and help Long Island law enforcement deal with the staggering number of catalytic converter thefts the area is experiencing.

As the theft of catalytic converters continues, Schumer is calling on the Department of Justice to send a dedicated team to Long Island to investigate and provide more local resources. Schumer also wants the DOJ to investigate whether there is an organized ring behind the thefts.

“We are parked here on Long Island to not just raise awareness amid an unprecedented rash of catalytic converter thefts, but to urge the DOJ to hit the gas on helping crack the case, because between the rate and scope of thefts here: this is not your average thief poking around the family driveway,” said Schumer. “The data I am revealing today shows that across Nassau and Suffolk, in January alone, more than one theft a day. This is out of control. Dangerous at the worst and maddening at the least. That is why I have spoken with the DOJ and am urging a dedicated team to focus in on Long Island because it is becoming clear that the potential for organized crime or a theft ring is what is behind all of this, and we have to get to the bottom of who it is and where the converter cash is going.”

The number of thefts of catalytic converters has skyrocketed in recent years. According to data from Schumber, there were 472 reported thefts in 2021, and 2,292 in 2022 — a jump of 385 percent. In Suffolk, thefts went from 282 thefts in 2021 to 1,581 in 2022. In 2019, there was only a single reported theft of a catalytic converter in Nassau County.

This month alone, there have been 49 thefts in Suffolk County and 69 thefts in Nassau County.

A catalytic converter is a key part of a vehicle’s exhaust system that converts pollutants into less harmful gases using precious metals such as rhodium, palladium, and platinum. And it's those precious metals that thieves are really targeting.

The value of the metals is extremely high — as of March 2022, rhodium was valued at $20,000 per ounce; palladium at $2,938 per ounce; and platinum at $1,128 per ounce, as reported by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). Theft of catalytic converters is costly to auto dealers, as well as the driving public. It can cost a dealer $2,000 to $3,000 to replace a stolen converter in order to fix damage done to a vehicle's undercarriage, fuel line and electric lines in the process of a theft.