Thefts of catalytic converters continue to plague businesses in Austintown.

The latest report came from an employee of the Walmart on Mahoning Avenue who heard a grinding noise in the parking lot shortly before dawn on Tuesday.

The employee tells police he saw someone in dark clothing climb out from beneath a Jeep Compass SUV and then drive away in a 2003 or 2005 Equinox that had been parked next to the Jeep.

It turned out that the noise was a power tool being used to saw off the catalytic converter from the Jeep’s exhaust system.

The employee said he couldn't get a good description of the thief.

The Jeep’s owner had arrived at work at around 4 a.m.

Store security video shows the equinox pull up next to the Jeep just before 5:30 a.m., then drive away fifteen minutes later westbound on Mahoning Avenue.

Police are investigating that theft, as well as another at Ohio Cat on LeHarps Road where a Ford F 250 had been dropped off for repairs last month.

The missing converter was discovered late last week when the owner came to pick up the vehicle.

A catalytic converter is a device used to reduce emissions from a vehicle’s exhaust system. It contains a catalyst for chemically converting pollutants in exhaust gases into less harmful compounds.

They contain precious metals such as rhodium, platinum, and palladium, the price of which have risen sharply due to supply chains disrupted during the pandemic.

Prices for these three metals doubled between March 2020 and June 2021.

Thieves sell stolen catalytic converters to scrap yards that in turn sell them to recyclers who strip them of their precious metals.