COLUMBUS, Ind. — GreenTree Senior Living in Columbus didn’t think much about parking its senior citizen bus in the parking lot behind its building on the west side of Columbus — until an employee started the engine last week.
On March 10, staff were getting ready to take the facility’s final six residents to get their COVID-19 vaccines. But when a maintenance worker went to start the bus, it let out a booming roar.
The culprit: Somebody had sawed off and stolen the bus’ catalytic converter, an emissions-control device coated with precious metals worth more than gold.
The theft forced staff to “cram” the residents — some with walkers and scooters — into a van with no lift and make multiple trips to get them all vaccinated, said Vicky Colson, the facility’s executive director.
And it cost $1,500 to replace the stolen part.
“It was very disappointing for our staff and for the residents that someone would do that here at a senior community,” Colson said. “…A senior community, really? For anybody, it’s an expense. But why would you do that to a senior community?”
GreenTree is among a growing number of victims of catalytic converter theft, which police across the country, including in Columbus, say is on the rise as emissions restrictions around the world are pushing the price of the metals contained in the devices to all-time highs.
Thieves can make hundreds of dollars selling the stolen parts to scrapyards or others, who then either resell the devices, which do not have serial numbers, or extract the precious metals.
In Columbus, a total of 177 catalytic converter thefts were reported to police last year, up from 45 thefts in 2019, according to the Columbus Police Department.
Catalytic converter thefts have further accelerated in Columbus so far this year, with 71 thefts reported during the first 73 days of the year.
For more on this story, see Thursday’s Republic.
