GEORGIA MAN DIES AS CAR HE WAS STEALING CATALYTIC CONVERTER FROM FALLS, CRUSHING HIM
You have probably heard of a catalytic converter before, though many probably don’t really know what one is. Pretty much every vehicle has one, so if you drive a car you have one, too. They reduce pollution and toxic gas from your car or truck’s emissions. But they are relatively easy to steal, this article notwithstanding. And people do want to steal them, as they contain the precious metals palladium, platinum and rhodium. That’s some relatively easy money for eager thieves. But not for the Georgia man, Matthew Eric Smith. About a week ago, the 32-year-old was found dead under a car, crushed to death.
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A CATALYTIC CONVERTER IS RELATIVELY EASY TO STEAL, EXCEPT WHEN 4,000 POUNDS OF CAR FALLS ON YOU
Police received a call on March 7, and when officers from the Chatham County Police Department responded, they found the Georgia man dead, crushed under the car. Police said that evidence at the scene made it clear that Smith had been trying to illegally remove the catalytic converter from the car at the time of death. Unfortunately for the erstwhile precious metals thief, the car wasn’t securely held up, and it literally fell on top of him. It would be too easy to mention Karma here, or how this is another example of how crime doesn’t pay. But what a horrible death!
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CATALYTIC CONVERTER THEFT HAS SKYROCKETED 1,200% SINCE 2019, SO MORE WEIRD NEWS TO COME
But Smith is not alone. Just a month ago another man in California was trying to do the same thing to another car, but with the driver taking a nap at the wheel. But when the driver woke up and started to drive away, he ran over that erstwhile thief, killing him as well. Yet there’s a reason why we are hearing all this macabre news involving catalytic converter thief deaths of late. Since the pandemic hit, theft of the device has exploded dramatically. Since 2019, thefts of catalytic converters have gone up an astonishing 1,200%. That doesn’t appear to be a statistic that goes down anytime soon.
So don’t be surprised to see more weird news of thief fatalities before too long.
