Raleigh thieves stealing car part more valuable than gold

North Carolina is among the top five states with the most catalytic converter thefts.

Posted 6:27 p.m. Jun 9, 2021 — Updated 4:20 a.m. Jun 10, 2021

Monica Laliberte

, WRAL executive producer/5 On Your Side reporter

MORRISVILLE, N.C. — North Carolina is among the top five states with the most catalytic converter thefts.

The cost of the metal that makes up the converter, rhodium, is more valuable than gold. Last month, the price of the metal was almost $30,000 per ounce. Gold is only worth about $1,900 an ounce.

Several recent thefts have been happening in the parking deck of the Raleigh-Durham International airport.

Jane Simmons, from Durham, learned she was a victim when she returned from a weekend trip and started her Toyota Prius.

The Toyota Prius has a catalytic converter that is more valuable than other cars. Because it is a low-emission vehicle, the converter contains more of the valuable metal people are looking to steal, according to Nerd Wallet.

"Immediately it’s making a very strange, loud noise," she said. "Actually I thought like a really loud motorcycle was parked right beside me."

The noise that Simmons describes is a tell-tale sign of catalytic converter theft.

"I was shocked. I couldn’t believe that that happened," Simmons said.

The catalytic converter is part of the exhaust system. It only takes a couple minutes for someone to crawl underneath the car and saw the converter off.

To replace a Prius' converter, it can cost upwards of $3,000. Thankfully, Simmons only had to pay $1,600.

One way of protecting yourself is buying an anti-theft device. Some of the shields bolt around your catalytic converter, others use layers of steel cable.

In theory, thieves could still cut through these shields, but the time it would take them to do so is thought to make them move on.

The metals are converted into cash by scrap metal operators, who officials say could be acting within the law and are unaware of the theft. Each converter could bring in anywhere between $20 to $250 in recycling value, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

According to Simmons, the RDU Airport police said that her Prius is one of three that was targeted by thieves that weekend and that the parking deck does not have security cameras that might help track the thieves.

Simmons reached out to RDU and asked if they could review security footage and try and catch the culprit. But the airport police told her that there was no cameras set up in the parking deck.

"I think I assumed, of course they do," she said.

Triangle seeing uptick in theft of catalytic converters

When WRAL reached out the the airport, they said that they could not discuss "security sensitive information."

Airport officials said out of 49 police reports, 5 involve assaults, 26 are thefts — including three converter thefts this year. The other incidents involve property damage and breaking into cars.

Art Kosatka, a security expert, said that airports decide where cameras are necessary.

"It's all about the threat," says Art Kosatka. He's an airport security, planning and design consultant and in the past, worked with RDU International.

Kosatka said regular threat assessments play into the decision to have cameras or not, and so does the budget.

"And if you've got a hundred cameras anywhere, how many people do you need to watch a hundred cameras, 24/7?" he said.

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