Man trying to steal catalytic converter killed by falling car,

[Demovictory9]

https://www.whio.com/news/trending/man-trying-steal-catalytic-converter-killed-by-falling-car-deputies-say/QQS5QWHMTFH3BM6TUHW6OAXNEE/

Man trying to steal catalytic converter killed by falling car, deputies say

James Maye, of the sheriff’s office, told WSOC that the homeowner found the man when he pulled into his driveway.

“He’s got multiple vehicles in his driveway and sees basically the lower half of a person sticking out from the front bumper of his Toyota Prius,” Maye said. “It appears the vehicle fell down on top of (the man) while he was trying to cut the catalytic converter off.”

Authorities said the car appeared to have fallen from an automotive jack and onto the man, whose name was not released, as he was cutting the exhaust pipe. In a news release Friday, officials said they hoped the incident served to “highlight the dangers associated with the theft of motor vehicle parts and will serve to discourage anyone actively involved in this type of criminal activity.”

“A catalytic converter and the small amount of scrap value it holds is not worth the risk of losing your life,” deputies said.

[OAITW r.2.0]

1. Stupid and sad at the same time,

Why would he need to do this? A few grams of platinum?

Society can fix this. Probably not in rural areas, though.

[Eugene]

2. How many people are crushed tipping vending machines

to steal from them?

Criminals are not widely known for thinking things through.

[OAITW r.2.0]

3. These are the lowest levels of economic desperation, I think.

2 grams of platinum vs.$35.00 in US Coins...What's more tradeable?

[MissB]

16. Huge issue right now

Along with auto theft, stealing catalytic converters is a huge problem.

Glad that I don’t have one to steal.

[jalan48]

35. Drugs would be my guess.

[Lucid Dreamer]

4. Car Karma. nt

[Demovictory9]

5. yes indeed

[TreasonousBastard]

6. Around here you can get up to $350 for a convertor.

[JohnnyRingo]

7. What a horrible way to die.

I wouldn't wish that on the lowest scum of society. Not even scrappers either.

For their 17th birthday all my grand sons got jack stands for their birthdays with a stern warning to use them every time they crawl under a car.

[sakabatou]

8. Darwin Award?

[TheBlackAdder]

43. Poor jack methods was the catalyst for converting his life.

[Captain Zero]

9. Too bad. Nah. I really don't care. It's a big problem around here...

No they are stealing them from working people who need their cars running and ready to go to work in the morning. I've had neighbors devastated and feel violated after they walk out and find it.

Lost work time. Lost wages. Repair bills. No Transportation.
Fuck him. He's dead. Good.

Usually they are going for SUV's especially jeeps and trucks too because they sit up higher, and easier to get under and steal them.

But like in this case the Prius's too. I think the Prius converter might be worth more.
One neighbor of mine has one of the smaller and lower Chevy's, but it was newer, so I think they go for more recent models too if they can. He was so sad he got victimized like that.

Happens a lot in apartment and condo lots from 4 a.m. to daylight. Deepest sleep hours.
Call the police, they don't have a clue, don't really seem to be concerned about running it down.
Back to the donut shop in 20.

[Haggard Celine]

44. That's how I feel.

He was stealing from someone who likely couldn't afford to have the part replaced. He broke it, he bought it.

[DanieRains]

10. I Hope He Suffered Horribly For Hours

Pile of scum.

Yeah they took my vans Converter.

Scum.

[masmdu]

15. What a terrible thing to wish for another human being.

[Boomerproud]

24. Save your pity for people that deserve it.

My car was stolen at a gas station and the little jerk, probably 15 , threw me down and Injured my arm. Cops found my car a month later after I had to buy a new one.Rental car cost me over 800.00 for 2 weeks. Still have nightmares.

[JI7]

57. Yes, Crimes like this are very costly and cause a lot of economic hardship to working people

ANd the problems just pile on in so many ways .

I'm sure that person doesn't think we should have laws to make people suffer and it was more of an emotional response which people should understand.

I see too many times people get more upset over people having an angry response to something horrible that happened to them than the actual thing that happened.

[DanieRains]

30. Please Send Me The $500 I Had To Pay For My New Converter

So some meth head can have another day's worth of drugs.....

Sorry.

Scum = dead.

[masmdu]

46. I had to pay nearly $1000 to replace mine and yet I still don't wish horrible suffering on the perso

person who stole it. We are very different people.

[Polybius]

52. Yeah, I just hope thieves get life in prison

I don't wish them any suffering at all.

[JI7]

58. Not really . Maybe he is already suffering economically. It's just emotional response

I wish horrible things for people that stole and damaged my things but that doesn't mean I would actually support laws that would cause suffering to people that do those crimes. But if something horrible did happen to them I might find it hard to have any sympathy.

[USALiberal]

48. Glad I know more about you now!! Nt

[MrsCoffee]

50. If someone is a meth head they need help, not death.

Sorry about your $500. Is that all a life is worth to you?

[JI7]

59. 500 dollars is not a small amount and causes many problems for people

[Chautauquas]

65. I had to pay almost that much when a guy slashed my tires

I was really pissed off but I didn't wish pain, suffering, and death on the guy.

[BlackSkimmer]

27. Wow, I'd hate to think what you think a murderer deserves?

Are you a fan of torture? The rack? Water boarding?

[USALiberal]

49. Prison??? You said death???

[USALiberal]

51. I think he got locked in this post. So he will not be commenting any longer.

[Raine]

11. No sympathy from me

low lifes have been stealing those like crazy in my area. Something bad happens to them it serves them right, haha!

[Buns_of_Fire]

12. I believe he's learned his lesson, your honor.

I can guarantee there is a zero chance of recidivism with this accused.

[BigmanPigman]

13. I just heard about the thefts on my local news ladt night.

I didn't know it was happening all over the country.

[Demovictory9]

14. it's huge in California.

[Ferryboat]

17. Same thing happened in

Everett WA area. Only his accomplice took the victim's shoes when he ran off.

[Renew Deal]

19. lol

Did his accomplice drop the car on purpose?

[Renew Deal]

18. His family will probably sue for more than the part was worth.

[LiberatedUSA]

20. If they win a case like that, there is no justice.

The dude trespassed and was in the act of stealing and may have did something that released the car. How can that be the homeowner’s fault?

Paying the families of dead scum for the scum’s stupidity. Nope.

[DFW]

29. Sue whom, though?

The car's owner didn't hire him to steal the catalytic converter, so the only one left to sue is the maker of the jack that failed to hold the car up. Trying to convince a jury that one of the manufacturer's stated purposes for their jacks is to hold the car high enough and long enough for a thief to steal parts is probably one hell of a legal stretch.

[taxi]

34. ...more than the part is worth... lol

more than the part is worth!
Too funny

eta - he could have got $50 for that part

[Hassin Bin Sober]

36. Hmmmm.

I wonder if the fact the person was using the jack for a theft would be relevant or allowed by a judge in a civil case? Possibly not.

[Renew Deal]

39. I didn't say they would win.

But I’m sure that there will be some argument like an uneven driveway causing the collapse.

[alphafemale]

33. Nah The few cases where damage suits by a trespasser/thief have won are booby trap cases

You can't set up a booby trap that will harm someone.

That Home Alone family would have been rightfully sued out the ballz, though.

[ripcord]

45. I was considering that for when we went away for the hollidays

Leave one kid behind to protect the house with booby traps, the house is safe and it will be quieter on the drive, it is hard for one of them to fight alone.

[Captain Zero]

67. Made me laugh. Thanks.

nt

[WhiskeyGrinder]

21. great thread y'all

[BlackSkimmer]

28. There are some revealing posts here.

Smh.

[MrsCoffee]

55. +1

[demmiblue]

62. +1 (sigh)

[dalton99a]

22. Should have gotten a job at McDonald's.

This shit is causing serious financial hardship to people

[alphafemale]

23. With the skill set possessed to turn a wrench and steal auto parts

He could have probably gotten a good job.

He didn't want a job.

Jobs require drug tests and attendance.

[Polybius]

53. Jobs require drug tests and attendance

Good attendance yes, but most mechanic jobs don't drug test, unless you are a mechanic for the MTA or something.

[mauserk98]

69. not true

every mechanical job I've had required a drug test....

[Polybius]

70. And every one I worked for didn't

They were all mom and pop places though.

[Amishman]

73. given the difficulty of finding mechanics right now, fewer are probably requiring this

Its not just food service and truck drivers that are in short supply, its all over

there is an interesting power struggle right now at my employer (financial sector) to drop the drug testing requirement for certain IT positions. Managers want to drop it because we can't find applicants, HR says heck no.

[634-5789]

25. Karma came calling...

[BlackSkimmer]

26. The Prius must be a favorite of these thieves.

A guy on my block had this happen to him.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

38. Yeah, there must be something about them.

I know several victims that were Prius owners.

My buddy confronted someone in front of his house here in Chicago. The guy pulled a gun on my buddy.

[Deep State Witch]

64. According to the Dealership

Where my friend took hers when it was making loud noises, the Gen 2 Prius has a very specific and valuable catalytic converter. It's got heavy metals in it, and it does something to convert the kinetic energy to electricity.

[Sympthsical]

31. We've had an epidemic of this in my area

Feels like every other day there's some Next Door video of people getting under cars.

I know the police apprehended a little ring of the thieves after a chase.

https://www.abc10.com/article/news/crime/suspect-catalytic-converter-theft-ring-fairfield/103-6057c436-ba6c-4075-951f-04c49bcb9c21

My neighborhood is relatively crime free, because we're a bunch of paranoid lunatics with cameras everywhere. But this crime is hitting everywhere. Yesterday morning, there was a post and camera footage of someone working under a car at 4:30a a couple blocks from me.

We had generally just left our cars in the driveway most days, but now they're in the garage at night. One never knows.

[Demovictory9]

41. epidemic in southern Calif. Hitting my community. we had cops come and talk to us about the issue

bottom line, we need better security cameras.

[roamer65]

37. Natural selection at work.

[kairos12]

40. He was converted to Soylent Green. Good riddance.

[ripcord]

42. I am out of fucks to give for thieves nt

[WarGamer]

47. Here's the problem with California...

They actually have a law banning aftermarket catalytic converters.

So if YOURS is stolen, you MUST buy the OEM piece from Ford, Toyota, Honda, etc...

In other states you can buy a replacement from Walker or another company, passes smog tests... for $400

The OEM might be $1200 each... some cars use TWO.

[Polybius]

54. CA has a ton of loony laws like that

It's almost like it's another country sometimes.

[MrsCoffee]

56. Thank God for California.

I wish we were another country sometimes.

[WarGamer]

61. Another law of "Good Intentions"

was the requirement for "re-usable" plastic grocery bags they charge the customer 10 cents for...

lmao...

I have a friend who manages a store who confirms that near ZERO people actually re-use those bags and the number of bags they order and use NOW is just as many as when they were ordering the thin "one-use" bags.

So... they took a bag that contained let's say 5 grams of PE and replaced it with a bag that contains 15g of PE... and people STILL use the ten cent bags to throw away junk around the house or pick up dog poo... whatever.

In effect, they've TRIPLED the amount of plastic (from groc store bags) that ends up in the dump.

And the ten cents doesn't go to any State recycling programs... it just goes to the bag mfg.

We need more Engineers and Accountants in Gov't.

[Raine]

66. Yes exactly. If I forget my cloth bag I end up with those new plastic bags

with more and more of them piling up. I don't think I've reused any of them, they're so darn stiff and thick.

[Xolodno]

71. I reuse my bags from the supermarket all the time.

Took me awhile to get used to, but, now after a shopping trip, gather them and throw them into the trunk. Hey 10 cents is 10 cents. Add to that, see people bring their own bags all the time.

It's when I travel out of state when things get weird.

[WarGamer]

74. do you think the gross weight of bags that leave the store is greater than before?

Considering the new bags contain 3-4x as much plastic as the old ones...

Meaning to break even, with no increase in plastic in the landfill, the vast majority of heavy bags would have to be re-used MANY times.

It's pretty simple... ask the bag mfg how many tons of bulk plastic they've been purchasing to produce them.

I think the vast majority of these bags go in a drawer and are used as the kitchen trash bag 90% of the time.

The Good thing I'll say about the law...

The wind has trouble carrying the new bags as far... probably fewer in the ocean.

To truly solve the problem... eliminate plastic bags altogether and people will buy and use the cloth bags.

[MagickMuffin]

60. He jacked around and found out

I wonder how many times he got away with it.

[Deep State Witch]

63. Good!

One less a**hole criminal in the world. Sorry, but my friend who is a senior citizen and on a fixed income had the catalytic converter stolen from her Prius this past week. We gave her $250 to pay her insurance deductible on it. I have no sympathy left for people who victimize others, especially seniors!

[Demovictory9]

68. You are lovely to help her out

[Xolodno]

72. The odd thing is...

...could have shoplifted some platinum spark plugs which would be a lot safer.


Add to that, do this too many times, you will get notice. It's a federal crime, not state.

[BannonsLiver]

75. Some of the responses here could be found at Free Republic

Which I’ll say again for the thousandth time, the only real difference is brand preference. They like Pepsi. Most here like Coke. Same basic American fear, anger and nastiness.