Everett Resident Catches Catalytic Converter Thief After Seeing His Prius On Jacks

A bit of good news from Everett Police among a trend of increasing thefts of catalytic converters from vehicles in Everett, Washington.

As catalytic converter thefts occur throughout the Puget Sound, Everett has not been immune… On March 1st, officers responded to the 11400 block of 3rd Ave SE on the report of a stolen catalytic converter. The victim told responding officers that at about 5:15 p.m. that evening, he looked out the window and saw a vehicle next to his parked Prius. He also noticed the Prius looked to be on jacks and he heard drilling sounds from the parking lot. The victim went outside and found a male lying beneath his Prius. When asked, the male said he “lost his wallet.” When the victim knelt, he saw exposed wires under the Prius and started yelling at the male – who quickly got up and left in the other vehicle. Fortunately, the victim photographed the male and his vehicle.

During their investigation, detectives identified the male and located the motel he was staying at in south Everett. Yesterday, detectives contacted and interviewed the male. Based on information provided, detectives believe the male is associated with several area catalytic converter thefts and are referring several theft charges to the prosecutor’s office.

Catalytic converters contain expensive precious metals that make the risk of capture worth the financial reward. Once stolen, typically by removing them with metal cutting tools, converters are sold by thieves to someone else who extracts the metals. At this time, the most common victim vehicles are the Toyota Prius (2004-2009 2nd generation) and the Ford F-250/E-250 (and larger) with the Triton V10 motor. Protect your vehicle: Park in a secure garage or well-lit area, mark the converter with your VIN, contact a local shop to see if they can install a cage over the converter, and install a car alarm with tilt sensing activation.