NPR

What's driving the rise of catalytic converter theft?

Most cars have catalytic converters to control the exhaust.
In this undated photo provided by the Utah Attorney General's Office, catalytic converters are shown after being seized in a recent investigation. (Utah Attorney General's Office via AP)

College student Kiley Higgens noticed her Hyundai Santa Fe making a strange noise after she parked the car overnight on the street while housesitting in Phoenix.

“I turn it off and start it again and it still has this super funky weird noise,” Higgens says. “It sounds like it has no muffler.”

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