Walser’s surveillance video couldn’t be easily matched to Hazard, whose face was covered. The business showed surveillance video to police and identified the suspect, William Hazard, who had sold converters to the business previously. Walser tracked the first stolen converter to a business in Providence called Accurate Converter, where the suspect had already sold the part for cash. “Sure enough, he did come back on Monday.” “Well, if they come back at least we’ll know about it,” Walser said. So Walser put Apple AirTags inside the converters on the hill, leaving them there for the thief to pick up. But the suspect left some of the converters on a hill in the woods, apparently planning to come back for them since he couldn’t fit all the stolen parts in his car. Walser said the suspect stole multiple large diesel exhaust systems - a larger version of a catalytic converter - dragging them across the parking lot and through a hole he had cut in the fence. The business had already dealt with thefts at its previous location in Johnston, and had high-quality surveillance cameras in the Warwick lot. The case was first reported by the Warwick Beacon. Half a dozen catalytic converters were stolen from his business Walser Mobile Refrigeration on Brownlee Blvd. And even if police find a suspect vehicle, the evidence could be long gone victims often report the crime on a delay, once they start their car and notice the converter missing.įed up with the thefts, Warwick business owner Daniel Walser took matters into his own hands earlier this year. The cars used in thefts can be unregistered or stolen. The thefts are frequently caught on camera, but suspects often have their faces covered. It can be difficult to for police to arrest the people stealing converters, O’Hara said. No arrests have been made, and the replacement converters cost more than $9,000. The highway department had surveillance video of the incident, but the suspect’s face was covered and couldn’t be identified. In North Smithfield, the town’s highway department had five catalytic converters stolen all at once on the morning of Sept.
Thieves have also targeted fleets of trucks, stealing multiple converters at a time. A van, truck or SUV can be high enough for the crook to get under the car to steal the part without needing to use a jack, making it even faster.
While some cars - like the Prius - are targeted because they contain more precious metals, others are targeted due to easy access.
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