Abington Police Arrest Bucks Co. Man In Connection With Catalytic Converter Theft

ABINGTON, PA — A Bucks County man has been arrested and charged with stealing a catalytic converter from a vehicle belonging to a hospital worker in Abington.

Abington Township police recently announced the arrest of 46-year-old Timothy Clarke of Levittown in connection with the theft of a catalytic converter from a vehicle belonging to an employee of Abington-Jefferson Hospital.

The theft occurred on Aug. 24 in the hospital’s Zipley Parking Garage while the victim was inside the hospital working a shift, according to police.

Following an investigation, police secured an arrest warrant for Clarke, who was taken into custody on Aug. 26 by detectives from Abington in Montgomery County, as well as detectives from the Bensalem and Bristol Police Departments in Bucks County.

Following his arrest Clarke was arraigned on Aug. 27 by District Judge John Kessler and released on unsecured bail, according to Abington police.

Court records show that Clarke was charged with Theft By Unlawful Taking, a third-degree felony; Receiving Stolen Property, a third-degree felony; Criminal Mischief-Tampering With Property, a second-degree misdemeanor; and Possessing an Instrument of Crime, a first-degree misdemeanor.

A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 28, according to court records.

An Abington police official told Patch that so far, Clarke is suspected of carrying out two catalytic converter thefts in Abington and one in Upper Moreland township.

A search of state court records for Bucks County did not appear to return any arrest records for Clarke in relation to any recent catalytic converter theft charges in that county. However, previous arrest records for Clarke show that he had been charged with felony Theft By Unlawful Taking in the spring of 2020.

Records show that Clarke was entered into Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition, or ARD, a program for first-time offenders. The most recent docket entry on Clarke's previously Bucks County criminal sheet in that matter shows that the courts are awaiting the ARD completion.

Abington police said the department has taken dozens of reports of catalytic converter thefts since the beginning of 2021 from vehicles parked throughout the township.

Catalytic converter thefts – which involve suspects pulling up alongside a parked vehicle, jacking it up, and using a reciprocating saw to remove the automotive part – have been escalating regionally and nationally as of late, police said.

Police say the act can be accomplished in a matter of minutes, and oftentimes victims have no idea a crime has occurred until they attempt to drive their vehicle and discover it is operating inefficiently.

Thieves target catalytic converters because the part can be easily sold at scrapyards with the thieves often receiving a couple hundred dollars for the part. The repairs, however, typically set back victims a couple thousand dollars, according to police.