Bowling Green Police responded Tuesday to the third catalytic converter theft in the city this month from older model Prius vehicles.
The latest report came from a resident in the 500 block of East Clough Street, who said her 2007 Prius made a very loud noise when she left for work earlier in the day. She took it to a local auto parts business, which notified her that the catalytic converter had been stolen. She was quoted a price of $900 to replace it.
Police are checking cameras in the area to see if the theft was captured.
Earlier in the month, on March 13, police received reports of catalytic converters being stolen from two 2006 Priuses. One was parked at an apartment in the 900 block of Klotz Road, and the other at an apartment in the 1000 block of Fairview Avenue.
Hybrids reportedly require catalytic converters with a higher concentration of precious metals than those found on gasoline-only cars. The converter from a 2007 Prius can sell for about $1,000. Newer Prius models use a different converter design, which doesn’t sell for as much.
