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On Wednesday, May 31st Chesterfield residents in the Old York Village area woke up to a string of overnight thefts of their car catalytic converters. Over the coming days there were also additional incidents reported in the Hamilton/Mercerville areas. The Chesterfield Police Department posted an alert via various social media outlets warning residents of the crime spree.

“Crime Alert: Numerous reports of catalytic converter thefts were reported to CTPD by residents in the Old York Village section of the township. These thefts occurred to vehicles overnight/in the early morning hours of Wednesday, May 31st. Please be aware and observant and report any suspicious activity by calling 9-1-1 or central communications at 609-723-8300. CTPD is actively investigating. If you have any tips or leads, please call CTPD at 609-291-0912.”

Information from Allstate Insurance provides some tips for car owners can do to help with catalytic converter theft includin:. 

1. Carving your vehicle VIN number onto the catalytic converter. While this may not prevent the theft it will make it difficult to sell and easier to identify if found by law enforcement.

2. Park in a garage or if a garage is not an option park in well-lit areas close to public entrances.

3. Install an anti-theft device.

4. Install motion sensitivity lights and cameras that are positioned on your parking areas.

5. Paint your catalytic converter- Ask your local police department about providing this as a service to your community.

6. Adjust your car alarm to activate from vibrations as thieves use a saw to cut the Catalytic converter off the car. The vibrations from the saw should activate your car alarm and deter a complete theft.

The Chesterfield Police Department also stated to a resident that the models targeted in Chesterfield included mostly older model cars particularly Hondas, Hyundais, Nissans and Volkswagens. Another list published included Model specifics of the top ten cars targeted as Toyota Prius, Honda Accord, Honda CR-V, Toyota Tacoma, Ford F Series Truck, Subaru Forester, Toyota Camry, Ford Econoline. Older models and hybrids are more desirable due to an increased amount of precious metals such as palladium, platinum and rhodium in the catalytic converter compared to more current models. Catalytic Converters can fetch over $1,000 per converter and with current tools can be stolen in less 1 minute. In Chesterfield these thefts occurred under the cover of darkness as well. 

Catalytic converter thefts are on the rise locally and nationwide. In November of 2022 Governor Murphy along with Senate President Nick Scurati and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin announced support for legislative proposals and administrative actions to combat auto theft in New Jersey. Also, in November of 2022 there was a nationwide raid referred to as “Operation Heavy Metal” which include locations in California, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Minnesota, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, Virginia, and New Jersey. The New Jersey raid location was just around the corner in North Hanover. The raid at Blacey’s U-Pick Auto Parts on Monmouth Road yielded two hundred  pallets of catalytic converters along with two million dollars in exotic cars, one million dollars in currency, twenty-nine ounces of gold bars, jewelry, and high valued handbags. In December of 2022,  Bordentown City Police began an investigation into the theft of five catalytic converters from buses with an estimated value of ,$13,084 at the Bordentown Regional School Districts bus lot. The investigation resulted in the arrests of two individuals  from the Camden area. Bordentown City Police Department was able to investigate and clear nine cases of catalytic converters in 2022.

In addition to their request to residents to be diligent in taking actions to minimize their cars from being victimized the Chesterfield Police Department will be increasing patrols in the areas the thefts occurred and request that residents report any suspicious activity as soon as possible.