Catalytic Converter (Somehow) Stolen from Car in Port Chester

A woman told Port Chester police that someone appears to have removed a major piece of her vehicle’s exhaust system in broad daylight Thursday.

Police are investigating the report, from a 53-year-old White Plains woman, that some time between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Thursday, while her car was parked at Whole Foods on the Post Road, her car's catalytic converter was removed. The device, in the exhaust, is large and heavy—it converts noxious fumes into less harmful gases—and generally can only be removed with a lot of noise and trouble.

Police said the woman noticed the problem when she started her car up in the afternoon and it started making a loud noise. Her mechanic told her it’s become more common for criminals to steal universal car parts from motor vehicles, police said.

The catalytic converter is worth about $200, police said.