Stolen Catalytic Converter Caught on Camera

By an edhat reader

There have been many stolen catalytic converters in the last 3 weeks in the No Goleta/Santa Barbara area. My truck that was parked on the street in front of my house on Tajo Drive under a street light at 3:12 am was stolen just like that. That is the time I woke up to a really loud sound but by the time I went outside the persons were driving away very fast.

I did call the 911 and the Sheriff’s came quickly, filled out a report and they told me there have been lots of this happening at this time but they can’t be everywhere. The damage was done and there’s pretty much nothing more you can do about it.

A lot of people have been saying it is happening in our area and throughout town. Neighbors have reported it happening on San Simeon, San Julio, Walnut, Valdez, Stow Canyon and more. It’s very expensive to fix, insurance will cover it but if you have a $500 deductible and it cost $1,000 at this time right now, that is a lot of money to pay to fix.

Update by Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office

This past week, there has been a rash of thefts of catalytic converters in the Goleta Valley. Several of the thefts occurred on Monday night or early Tuesday morning. The thefts were in the following areas; 300-block of Valdez, Armitos at Kellogg, 5200-block of San Simeon, 700-block of Walnut Lane, 6100-block of Stow Canyon, 6200-block of Momouth, 5000-block of Douglas and the 500-block of Amherst. The vehicles that were targeted were Ford trucks, a Chevrolet truck and a Honda Element.  These thefts are similar to thefts that were recently reported by Ventura Police Department and Oxnard Police where Ford F250 trucks and Honda Elements were also targeted.

The theft of catalytic converters is popular because they can be easily removed, they do not have identifying marks like serial numbers, and the components are made up of precious metals that can be resold to recyclers. There are steps that can be taken to thwart these thefts including; parking inside a garage or secured yard, installing motion detector lights near parking areas, installing a catalytic converter protection device, and educating neighbors to be on the look-out for thieves.

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office is interested in any videos that may have captured these thefts. Additionally, we encourage residents to call dispatch immediately if they see suspicious subjects around or underneath vehicles. Sheriff’s Dispatch can be reached at (805)683-2724 for non-emergency calls, 911 for emergencies, or you can leave an anonymous tip on our website.