Ellenville Police Warning Over Rise in Valuable Auto Part Thefts

It's starting to feel like Groundhog Day all over again here in the Hudson Valley as recent news has circulated regarding a string of automobile related thefts. This issue is one that has impacted numerous towns, villages and communities over the last year and now it looks like its made its way to another local village.

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Honda Drivers in Ellenville Beware

Last week Ellenville Police Department made a post to their Facebook page regarding a recent string of thefts. According to the post, the suspects in this case of thefts were targeting owners of Honda CRV's. The suspects were not stealing the actual vehicles but rather the vehicles catalytic converters. The suspects have been successful in hitting several locations throughout the Village of Ellenville.

At this point, the Ellenville Police are actively investigating the thefts but they are also asking the public for help. Specifically the Ellenville Police are asking the public for any information that can help them in their investigation process. The Ellenville Police Department can be reached at 845-647-4422. The department also specified that citizens can leave a message directly on the police department's Facebook page.

The Importance of Catalytic Converters

The rise in the number of thefts of catalytic converters throughout the region is due to a number of factors. Simply put, catalytic converters are valuable and they have increased in value since the pandemic wrecked the world.

Supply chains for the materials needed to build catalytic converters were drastically restricted during the pandemic. Labor shortages as well as restrictions on mining caused the price for these precious metals to skyrocket. When the materials for the parts aren't available, it also means the parts can't be made. This also made the street value of catalytic converts rise, explaining why they have become such a popular item in the eyes of thieves.

I guess even in cases of theft, one can't escape the rules of supply and demand.

In the past year, WPDH has covered a litany of catalytic converter thefts throughout the region. Just a month ago, a string of catalytic converter thefts occurred in a particular area of the Town of Wallkill. You can read about that story here or you can also check out the WPDH website to see more of our past coverage.