Texas 2nd in country for most catalytic converter thefts, new report finds
AUSTIN, Texas - A recent report puts Texas at number two in the country for states with the most catalytic converter thefts. One local RV and boat storage company caught one of those thefts on camera.
Caught on security camera footage, were suspects breaking into A-Affordable RV and Boat Storage in Georgetown.
"It's a big, big, big problem that's going on right now for us," said John Hall, Operations Manager A Affordable Storage.
What they stole was catalytic converters.
"There's just been a big trend of catalytic converter thefts at our storage facilities," said Hall.
Hall says they have over 20 locations throughout Texas, but the thefts have really been increasing at their Austin locations starting from over the summer.
"It's just often just a really bad issue that we've never seen before until early this year," he said.
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According to a recent report with auto insurance company State Farm, this is not unusual. The report says catalytic converter thefts have risen by 400% nationwide since 2019. The data also ranked the top five states with the most reported thefts with number one California and second being Texas.
The reason for the rise is due to the rare metals inside those converters that make them worth several hundred to several thousands of dollars.
Hall says the thieves usually cut into their fences to get in.
"They roll up underneath one of the RV, take some 30 to 40 seconds to cut it out, and then you see them hauling them off and throwing them over the fence," he said.
Hall says they will now implement even more security including overnight monitoring to catch the thieves. There is also a $5,000 reward for information to catch the suspects. If you have any information, call the police.