Male Leaves Tools When Spotted Trying To “Borrow” Catalytic Converter
by Alex Lloyd Gross
During the overnight hours of November 11 2021 ,someone was attempting to “borrow” a catalytic converter from a vehicle that was parked on commercial property on the 300 block of W. Street Road in Upper Southampton Twp Bucks County.. The male was hard at work in an area a bit off the road.and since it was early morning, the work of sawing it off the vehicle did not awaken any neighbors. He was making good progress too until an unwanted patrol car drove onto the lot and spotted him. The male did not want to disturb the patrol officer from his duties so he ran, leaving behind a reciprocating saw and a floor jack.
According to Police Chief Dominic Varacallo, the male not not inconveniencing the officer, but the officer only wanted to have a conversation with him. They still do. They want to return his tools to him, but in spite of a social media post, no one has come forward. “Should he come in, we would love the opportunity to question him,” Varacallo said. This region is plagued with converter thefts and they are no small inconvenience. they are expensive to replace and install.
Varacallo said that there is a good chance that the saw and jack are stolen property, in that case, if you are the rightful owner you should contact his department and they can start the process of returning them to you. You will need proof, such as a police report , a receipt or a copy of a warranty card with the serial number correctly filled in. They are not just going to turn it over to the first person that claims it.
in fact, these tool will be held as evidence and after a while, they will be destroyed. The camera footage is not clear enough to gain any useful information on the perp but he did leave behind DNA. While the thief did not get the catalytic converter this time, they came up short, by losing their tools. Unfortunately the victim has to pay to get a new one, as the converter was sawed through and cannot be re attached. Varacallo estimated the damage at about $2000.00..