“Idiots Missed The Neighbor’s Cameras”: Youngsters Steal Car Parts, Face Car Owner’s Pro Revenge

It’s safe to assume that most thieves hope not to get caught. But while some are extra careful to leave without a trace, others tend to be much more relaxed; or inattentive, at least.

Take this redditor’s story, for instance; after someone stole the catalytic converter off his truck, it didn’t take long for him to recognize the thieves as they were caught on a neighbor’s camera. Knowing full well who the crooks were, the owner of the car took matters into his own hands and decided to teach them a lesson by seeking pro revenge.

Though it’s a sad reality, many car owners are used to upsetting things happening to them. What I mean by that is that there always seems to be something in need of fixing or renewing, and in that brief moment of peace when everything is arguably taken care of, an expensive-sounding noise presents itself.

To make matters worse, in addition to the constant repairs and the necessary periodic motor vehicle inspections, there’s also theft that adds to the neverending headaches of car owners. It might not be the entire car that’s taken away, but waking up to find that your vehicle no longer has tires is not a mood booster, either.

According to the online marketplace for buying and selling cars, Carwow, if not taken in their entirety, cars of any age or value can become targets for their parts. And unfortunately, thieves looking to dismantle someone’s vehicle are reportedly working hard. That is believed to be related to an increasing number of so-called “chop shops” – businesses that illicitly disassemble stolen cars and sell the parts.

Discussing the problem, Clive Wain, the head of police liaison at Tracker, a company that specializes in stolen vehicle recovery, told Carwow that: “The alarming increase in the number of chop shops largely reflects a rise in demand for good quality used parts in recent years, partly due to the new part supply chain delays. However, the cost of living crisis has also fuelled illegal activities.”

While it looks like thieves are ready to dismantle any and every car out there and take whatever part they can lay their fingers on, catalytic converters—the same part that was stolen off the OP’s truck—have become an especially desired catch. According to Vox, theft claims in the US regarding this particular part have skyrocketed over recent years, going from 16,600 stolen catalytic converters reported to insurance companies in 2020, to roughly 51,200 in 2021 and 64,700 in 2022.

If you’re not sure what exactly a catalytic converter is, in the most basic terms, it’s a device in the vehicle's exhaust system that converts harmful engine-exhaust pollutants into something less detrimental to the environment.

And if you’re wondering what’s so special about this particular piece of the car that attracts crooks like moths to a flame, the answer is pretty simple – the materials. Catalytic converters are usually made using precious metals, such as platinum, palladium, and rhodium, which can be worth at least a couple hundred dollars if presented to metal buyers. (According to Vox, secondhand converters are not reused in other cars, they end up at refineries that process the metal.)

Unfortunately for the OP, he, too, has lost a catalytic converter likely because the two youngsters were looking to earn some money off of it. But instead, they endured a loss by getting their car destroyed after the redditor got his sweet revenge, which quite a few netizens in the comments applauded him for.