As metal prices soar, catalytic converters targeted by thieves

Michael Kevane, an economics professor in San Jose, Calif., didn't give a second thought to parking his 2005 Toyota Prius in his driveway one rainy evening recently.

But the next morning, when his son Elliot went to start up the car, "it sounded like a jackhammer," Kevane said. "The whole block could hear the noise."

The reason for the ruckus: A thief in the night had made off with the car's catalytic converter, a critical emissions-control device that contains precious metals more valuable than gold.

https://www.startribune.com/catalytic-converters-targeted-by-thieves/600021644/