A man down in Georgia lost his life after being crushed by a car, and it appears as though he found himself in the sticky situation while trying to come up on a catalytic converter!
The 32-Year-Old Man Was Found Crushed In A Savannah Car Lot
According to WSAV, officers with the Chatham County Police Department (CCPD) were called to a car lot in Savannah last week and discovered a deceased man identified as Matthew Eric Smith pinned beneath a vehicle.
The 32-year-old, who’s reportedly been arrested over a dozen times, is believed to have been trying to steal the car’s catalytic converter when it fell on top of him.
Regarding the circumstances of the matter, CCPD Chief Jeff Hadley noted that he hopes the case will serve as a deterrent to others with “intentions to go around stealing catalytic converters.”
“We normally don’t publicize every death investigation that we go to. Many are natural—it could be an overdose or something like that. But because of the uniqueness of this case, we had wanted the public to know one hopefully as a deterrent for, unfortunately, anyone who had those intentions to go around stealing catalytic converters.”
Thieves Have Been Booked & Busy Stealing Catalytic Converters
While this is a unique case of the situation going terribly wrong, the media is filled with people from all over having their catalytic converters be stolen.
As a matter of fact, the National Insurance Crime Bureau reports that catalytic converter theft has steeply increased 1,215% since 2019. Additionally, the Houston Police Department previously noted that officers were getting over thirty reports of such instances every single day.
We are receiving MORE than 30 catalytic converter theft reports PER DAY.
HPD continues to take proactive steps to address this growing problem. Be part of the solution by checking your Nextdoor and local HPD storefront for upcoming events.#OneSafeHouston #RelationalPolicing pic.twitter.com/J7pwWNMHhr
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) July 27, 2022
As a result, various states like California and South Carolina have implemented new legislation to try and curb the epidemic. However, catalytic converter theft is still a major issue all over the United States, as you can see down below.
Can you believe this? Talk about Bold.
Broad daylight. Cops say this guy is ripping off a catalytic converter. It’s all caught on camera. And now an arrest- @WPLGLocal10 pic.twitter.com/xYIV4WKrLj— Rosh Lowe (@roshloweWPLG) March 6, 2023
Yet another catalytic converter stolen … that makes 12 on our block alone & yes the car had a converter cage as it had been stolen before. pic.twitter.com/RiUvB7O1Df
— Joel Riddell (@joelriddell) March 12, 2023
ICYMI: Catalytic converter theft in and around the Austin area continues after a locally owned RV dealership had 34 catalytic converters stolen in the middle of the night. pic.twitter.com/f4906D83vC
— Lindsey Ragas (@LindseyRagas) February 11, 2022
What do you think about the situation, and have you had to deal with your catalytic converter getting stolen? Also, do you think this example can serve as a cautionary tale for how this popular crime can go wrong?
