'Maddening:' Ford, Toyota catalytic converters targeted for platinum

MILWAUKEE - It's loud, damaging and expensive to fix! A catalytic converter theft can cause major problems for your car, and lots of them are disappearing from vehicles in Milwaukee.

It only takes about a minute for criminals to crawl under a car and cut off a catalytic converter. One Whitefish Bay man thought his car would be safe, but it wasn't.

The sound of a vehicle ready for the race track wasn't what Ray Dzelzkalns expected or hoped for on a Monday morning, but when he got in his Honda Element, it's exactly what he heard.

When he did some investigating, he quickly discovered the problem.

"Looked underneath and there’s a piece of pipe missing," he said. "Something was missing about this long.

His catalytic converter had been cut straight from his car. It's a problem seen across the area.

So far in 2021, there have been 322 car part thefts in Milwaukee, up from 295 at this time in 2020.

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"It usually takes them anywhere from 30 seconds to a couple of minutes to get it and they’re on their way," said Sgt. Efrain Cornejo, Milwaukee Police Department.

Sgt. Cornejo says thieves are targeting Fords and Toyotas, seeking the precious metals inside.

"A lot of them have platinum and they’re taking them to get the platinum out of it," said Sgt. Cornejo.

There isn't much that can be done to prevent it, but some things can help. 

"Park in a well-lit area," said Sgt. Cornejo. "If you have the option of parking in an enclosed garage per se, that’s always recommended."

Dzelzkalns said he'll be more alert after replacing his catalytic converter.

"It’s so expensive, but you have to have it," he said. "It’s maddening."

Sgt. Cornejo says a lot of times, thieves are unloading the scrap in other states that have more relaxed rules when it comes to buying and selling scrap metal.