Catalytic converters stolen from senior center buses, businesses in Worcester County

MILLBURY, Mass. — Catalytic converters were stolen from four senior center buses in Millbury and two company vans in neighboring Sutton this week.

The buses are owned by non-profit Friends of Millbury Seniors. Contracting with Worcester Regional Transit Authority, the nonprofit drives seniors and the disabled to medical appointments, the bank, shopping trips and more, Judith O’Connor, executive director of the Millbury Senior Center, told Boston 25 News by phone Thursday.

An employee arriving for work Wednesday morning found the damaged vehicles and called police who are investigating the crime.

Two of the four damaged buses were fixed and back on the road Thursday. A couple non-essential appointments had to be canceled, O’Connor said. The cost of the parts and labor is in the thousands.

Within hours of the Millbury crime, two Ford Econoline vans were also targeted 2.5 miles away in Sutton.

A resident of Old Providence Road, told Boston 25 News he heard the commotion in the parking lot of the industrial building across the street and called police.

“I’m looking out the window of my house, and I see the guy underneath the van with his legs sticking out, all hooded up and stuff,” he said. “I could hear the sound of a Sawzall sawing on the tail pipe and the exhaust system. And they ended up ripping out the catalytic converter, tossing it in the truck and leaving.”

Thieves are able to steal catalytic converters quickly, taking off with the pricey part of the exhaust system and leaving a mess that typically costs a few thousand dollars to fix.

Criminals targets the parts to resell the valuable metals inside the parts. The ceramic block is infused with platinum, palladium and rhodium.

“If the person knows what they’re doing, they can jump out, cut whatever they need to out of the vehicle, and they can be gone in a matter of minutes,” said Sutton Police Officer Nick Bertone.

The crime has risen across the state. Cambridge police alerted residents to 17 catalytic converter thefts in the city within about a week in August. All the crimes involved 2002-2009 Toyota Priuses.

Police provided these tips to the public to prevent such thefts:

• Park in well-lit areas.
• Park close to building entrances or the nearest road in public parking lots. This leaves your vehicle in a location where many people can see it.
• If you have a personal or shared garage, keep your vehicle parked inside with the door shut.
• Add video surveillance to the area where you regularly park your vehicle.
• Install a catalytic converter-specific security device, such as an aluminum plate that, once installed, that can provide a strong barrier against theft.
• Adjust the security system on your vehicle, if already installed, to activate from vibrations, such as those produced by a saw.
• Remember to call the police and report where your car was parked when your catalytic converter was stolen. Provide as many identifying details that you can, including the time when the theft most likely occurred.

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