Marlboro police investigate theft of catalytic converters
BY TALI ISRAELI
Staff Writer

MARLBORO - Following a recent rash of catalytic converter thefts from vehicles parked in commuter lots, police are investigating all leads and reviewing security video recordings.

On Oct. 20 the Marlboro Police Department received calls from eight residents who reported that unknown individuals had removed the catalytic converters from cars parked in and around the Union Hill Road commuter lot, the Cambridge Square shopping center commuter lot and the employee lot at Home Depot.

Both lots are off Union Hill Road, just east of Route 9. The Home Depot is in the Cambridge Square shopping center.

A catalytic converter is a device used to reduce the toxicity of emissions from an internal combustion engine. Catalytic converters have been required by law on every motor vehicle operated in the United States since 1975.

According to Detective Sgt. Paul Reed, the incidents in which the catalytic converters were stolen took place between 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Oct. 20.

When the individuals started their cars upon returning, they heard very loud exhaust sounds and rumbles. Following a visit to a mechanic, each victim was told that his catalytic converter had been removed from underneath the vehicle.

A new catalytic converter may cost between $400 and $1,500 and the cost to repair the vehicle could be between $1,000 and $3,000, according to Reed.

The vehicles that had a catalytic converter stolen included a 2003 Toyota Highlander, a 1997 Acura Integra, a 2003 Toyota station wagon, a 1994 Jeep, a 1998 Ford pick-up, a 1996 Nissan and a 2000 Toyota pick-up.

According to Reed, the individuals who stole the catalytic converters could either sell the parts for scrap or sell the used converter to a buyer. Reed said a used catalytic converter could be sold for between $400 and $500.

When asked what type of individuals he believes the suspects to be, Reed said he does not believe they are youths. He said the individual(s) have to be someone who knew what they were doing and had a buyer for the part.

According to police, it appears that the suspect(s) used a type of cutting device to remove the catalytic converters; the device was most likely a reciprocal saw because the converters were cleanly cut from the exhaust systems below the vehicles.

Reed said with that type of device the suspects could have removed the catalytic converters from the vehicles within minutes.

Reed said police officers in Mountain-side, Union County, made an arrest on Oct. 25 which may be related to the incidents in Marlboro. Police are trying to determine if there is a connection.

The detective said the Marlboro Police Department will be pulling videos from cameras in the area of the commuter parking lots, including the Home Depot and the banks that are in the Cambridge Square shopping center.

"We have a few leads we are following," Reed said.