Police in the Poconos are looking for the burglars who stole dozens of catalytic converters from a car dealership.
The converters are used to keep vehicle pollution down, but detectives said the thieves want them for something else.
Police said 37 brand new catalytic converters were stolen from Honda CRVs and Pilots at Ray Price Auto on Route 447 near East Stroudsburg in Monroe County . A mechanic discovered the thefts Monday morning.
After reviewing surveillance video, general manager Danielle Singer realized what happened the night before.
"What they did was, they worked as a team and we could see that on the video," said Singer. "They slid underneath the vehicles, unbolted the catalytic converter, got up, handed it off to somebody, who then we could see run it up to the front of the building."
The converters are meant to reduce pollution from exhaust, but are stolen for the metals they contain, including platinum.
"Scrapping the metal for the semi-precious metals that are inside of the catalytic converters seems to be the driving force behind it," said Lieutenant Brian Kimmins, of the Stroud Area Regional Police Department.
Police believe the vehicles were specifically targeted because a person could easily get underneath the vehicle, without having to lift it up on jacks.
Investigators estimate more than $48,000 of converters was stolen and said this is one of the largest converter burglaries they have seen.
In May, thieves made off with about 30 converters from Major Hyundai on Route 611.
Knowing other places have been hit in the past, Danielle Singer said she immediately sounded the alert to other dealerships.
"We get the word out quick to each other and everybody kind of gets on their toes and looks for preventative things to put in place so that this doesn't happen again," said Singer.
According to the dealership, none of the vehicles were damaged during the thefts.
Anyone with information on the thefts is asked to call Stroud Area Regional Police at 570- 421-6800.
The converters are used to keep vehicle pollution down, but detectives said the thieves want them for something else.
Police said 37 brand new catalytic converters were stolen from Honda CRVs and Pilots at Ray Price Auto on Route 447 near East Stroudsburg in Monroe County . A mechanic discovered the thefts Monday morning.
After reviewing surveillance video, general manager Danielle Singer realized what happened the night before.
"What they did was, they worked as a team and we could see that on the video," said Singer. "They slid underneath the vehicles, unbolted the catalytic converter, got up, handed it off to somebody, who then we could see run it up to the front of the building."
The converters are meant to reduce pollution from exhaust, but are stolen for the metals they contain, including platinum.
"Scrapping the metal for the semi-precious metals that are inside of the catalytic converters seems to be the driving force behind it," said Lieutenant Brian Kimmins, of the Stroud Area Regional Police Department.
Police believe the vehicles were specifically targeted because a person could easily get underneath the vehicle, without having to lift it up on jacks.
Investigators estimate more than $48,000 of converters was stolen and said this is one of the largest converter burglaries they have seen.
In May, thieves made off with about 30 converters from Major Hyundai on Route 611.
Knowing other places have been hit in the past, Danielle Singer said she immediately sounded the alert to other dealerships.
"We get the word out quick to each other and everybody kind of gets on their toes and looks for preventative things to put in place so that this doesn't happen again," said Singer.
According to the dealership, none of the vehicles were damaged during the thefts.
Anyone with information on the thefts is asked to call Stroud Area Regional Police at 570- 421-6800.
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