Tewksbury Man Witnesses Thieves Cut Catalytic Converter Off RV

TEWKSBURY (CBS) - A suspect is due in Lowell District Court charged with larceny for allegedly cutting the catalytic converter right from beneath the motorhome of a Tewksbury man. Al Sharpe says it was surreal when he witnessed the crime on his own property in the middle of the day.

His home surveillance camera was rolling when a dark colored SUV suddenly pulled up in the driveway. "I looked out front and saw a strange car I didn't recognize," Sharpe said.

He says the doorbell then rang over and over again, and the camera captures someone getting out of the vehicle with what appears to be a tool heading straight for the motorhome parked in his driveway. "I heard the Sawzall start up and I knew what they were doing, taking the catalytic converter off my motor home," he said.

Sharpe believes when he didn't answer the door the thieves thought no one was home. But he says they were startled when he came out of the house, his cellphone camera at the ready taking pictures to try to identify them. "I just yelled out 'do you have my catalytic converter?'" Sharpe said. "They backed out hit my wall and took off."

Police say it's the valuable metal in the converters, an emissions control device, that makes them so popular.

"They go to scrapyards and get $150 to $200 depending on the size," said Tewksbury Police Lt. Patrick Connor. "I believe it's a crime of opportunity. Individuals drive around and target certain vehicles."

Al Sharpe's motorhome sits up high for a quick job, a quick job that is now going to cost him. "We didn't use it last year, and not the year before because of the pandemic. We had plans this year but from what I understand catalytic converters are hard to find," Sharpe said. "It could take three or four months to get one."

The catalytic converters reduce toxic gases and pollutants created when a vehicle turns gas into energy. It can cost nearly $2,000 to replace a missing catalytic converter and it is illegal to drive a car without one.

Thanks to his pictures and video police have identified David Dion as one suspect but there are likely others.