Thieves cut off catalytic converters at two sites

Scrap-metal thieves in Bloomfield Township stole three catalytic converters from two different locations on Friday, April 9, police said.

Bloomfield Township police are investigating two incidents where thieves snuck underneath vehicles and cut the catalytic converters off of the vehicles’ exhaust systems.

Bloomfield Township police received a call at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, April 9, from an employee at Page Honda, 1819 S. Telegraph, who said two converters were stolen from vehicles in the dealership’s side and rear lots. The theft occurred sometime between Wednesday, April 7 and Thursday, April 8.

Police received a second call about noon from an employee at Sun Heating and Cooling, 766 Industrial Court. A representative for the business said a catalytic converter was stolen from one of their work vehicles. That theft occurred sometime in the past two weeks.

Catalytic converters contain precious metals, including platinum and palladium, which is used to heat exhaust fumes to destroy the amount of harmful emissions. Thieves target vehicles by crawling underneath, cutting the converter off of the exhaust pipe. The metal is then smelted and sold for scrap.

Both cases are under investigation. Police ask anyone with information to contact the Bloomfield Township Police Department at 248.433.7755.