Watch thieves steal a catalytic converter from car in NJ driveway

Discussing home security on the show brought to light that sometimes in the suburbs of New Jersey we live under a false sense of security. For instance, you think your car may be safe in the driveway, but we know how many people have walked out and found their cars had been stolen in broad daylight.

This video, captured by a Nest camera, was sent to us by a listener named Jennifer Moss and appeared on the Facebook group “Manalapan Englishtown, NJ Community Page”.

It beats any video we’ve seen in a long time.

As you can see in this video, a group of thieves was able to remove a catalytic converter from Laura Quint Veti’s Prius in just a couple of short minutes. In broad daylight, they jacked up the car in the driveway, cut it out with a power tool and then tossed it in their trunk and took off—even though her driveway sits on a busy road.

She caught the whole thing on her nest camera system. In the words of the listener who shared the video with us, this video will leave you speechless.

According to an article by Best Life Online, regarding the rise in catalytic converter theft, New Jersey joins Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Nevada, Oklahoma, and Georgia on a list of states that have had a significant rise in catalytic converter theft.

Because the construction of catalytic converters uses precious metals and the COVID-19 supply chain issues create such a demand demand for these precious metals, catalytic converter theft is seeing a spike all over.

Toyota, Honda, and Lexus vehicles are the top targets for catalytic converter thieves right now. According to the article, in 2020, the most common cars targeted were the Toyota Prius, Honda Element, Toyota 4Runner, Toyota Tacoma, and Honda Accord.

Yes, you can protect your vehicle with an anti-theft device, but it can be pricey, ranging anywhere from $250-$800. On the other hand, replacing your catalytic converter can cost a couple thousand.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco. Any opinions expressed are Judi Franco’s own.