Disabled Transportation Vehicles Robbed of Catalytic Converters

The wave of catalytic converter thefts, at least in the Twin Tiers, doesn’t seem to have been slowed all that much by the busting of an international ring responsible for what could be millions of dollars-worth of thefts of the auto part in the United States.

While the ring that was busted by a federal sting operation last month reportedly operated in areas of the northeast, Pennsylvania State Police in Susquehanna County report catalytic converters were stolen in early November from ten vehicles owned by Trehab Community Partnership in Montrose.

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Trehab Community Partnership provides assistance to residents with social needs, including transportation for people with disabilities.

According to the Pennsylvania State Police Barracks in Gibson, the thefts happened at around 1 a.m. Friday, November 11 as the vehicles were parked in the group’s parking lot at 81 Industrial Drive in Bridgwater Township, Susquehanna County.

Scrap yards and used auto parts sellers should be on the lookout for a large number of used converters being offered for sale.

The items, that remove pollutants from exhaust and are necessary for various Environmental Protection Agency compliance, contain some expensive metals and can range in price from a few hundred dollars to thousands depending on the make of the vehicle they can be installed on.

In New York, the state is offering identification stamp kits that can quickly identify a catalytic converter that has been stolen from a vehicle.

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The Ford and Chevrolet catalytic converters that were stolen in Pennsylvania were:

One Ford F250, three Ford E-450 and one Ford F-350, three Ford 2023 E-450s, a 2018 Econoline E-450, 2020 Econoline E-450, three 2023 Econoline E-450s, a 2022 Econoline E-450, A 2019 Ford F350 and a 2016 F250 Supercab pickup. The Chevrolet parts were two Chevy Express, a 2020 Chevrolet Express full-size Van and a 2009 Chevrolet Express full-size van.

Anyone with information is asked to call Trooper Jason McKee at the Gibson Barracks: 570-465-3154.

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