Catalytic converter theft: Removing auto exhaust device takes a minute, but replacing it could take months

When Ken Shay, a longtime Chicago resident, went out to start his 2013 Lexus RX 350 SUV parked near his Lincoln Park apartment on a recent weekday morning, he was in for a rude awakening.

His trusty ride was locked up and tucked in along the quiet residential street bordering the park, just as he left it the night before.

Then he turned the key.

“The instant you turn the engine on, it sounds like a jet airplane,” said Shay, 79.

Shay made a noisy beeline for his auto repair shop, the latest victim of a crime wave that has exploded during the pandemic: catalytic converter theft.

Part of the automotive exhaust system that filters emissions, the catalytic converter has become a target for mechanically inclined thieves across the U.S., who work like pit crews to jack up or slide under a vehicle, saw off the device and abscond with the goods in a matter of minutes.

The catalytic converter contains valuable precious metals including rhodium, palladium and platinum, which can fetch hundreds of dollars in resale on the black market. But the repair bills can run into the