VIDEO: Catalytic converter thieves caught in the act in Sun City, Tempe

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- Catalytic converter thefts are being reported around the Valley, including two robberies in Sun City and Tempe this month.

A thief was caught in the act, stealing a catalytic converter from a car parked at a business in Sun City on Saturday morning. The victim says a man robbed him just before 10 a.m. near 103rd Avenue and Coggins Drive, just off Grand Avenue. Dashcam video shows the man lifting the truck and removing the catalytic converter before speeding away.

A similar incident was also shared with Arizona’s Family on Oct. 4. A woman says her catalytic converter was stolen from her truck at 4 a.m. Her security camera captured two men and a woman taking the catalytic converter from her truck. A car is parked in the street, and two men are lying underneath her truck parked in the driveway. A woman then comes up to the two men before the group leaves. Both victims are asking the public for help identifying the burglars.

According to State Farm Claims Data Ranks, Arizona is among the top 10 states for the most catalytic converter thefts in the past year. Arizona ranks ninth, with 1,155 paid claims from July 2021 to June 2022. The number of thefts has jumped drastically in just a few short years.

In 2019, State Farm paid nearly $10,000 for only seven catalytic converter theft claims in the state. In 2021, that number jumped up to $1.4 million paid for over 900 thefts in the state. The top state with the most thefts was California, with over 10,000 paid claims.

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