>>>Catalytic Converter Thefts on The Rise in Region
(Reading, PA) -- A spike in the market price of a precious metal in the exhaust system is driving thefts of catalytic converters on cars and trucks. Police in Berks and surrounding counties are asking people to be on the lookout for suspicious people around vehicles or the sound of a saw blade cutting metal. Investigators say thieves are using battery-powered saws to remove the converters for their value as scrap metal. Police add that metal recyclers can pay anywhere from $25 for a converter to over a thousand bucks for systems from larger trucks.