Man stealing catalytic converter crushed to death in Union County, deputies say

UNION COUNTY, N.C. — A man who was in the process of trying to steal a catalytic converter was killed when the car he was beneath fell on him, authorities said.

According to the Union County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called Wednesday evening to a home on West Unionville Indian Trail Road.

When they got to the scene, investigators found a man dead underneath a Toyota Prius.

“The homeowner pulls into the driveway,” said James Maye, with the Union County Sheriff’s Office. “He’s got multiple vehicles in his driveway and sees basically the lower half of a person sticking out from the front bumper of his Toyota Prius.”

Detectives said they found evidence indicating that the man was in the process of cutting off and stealing the car’s catalytic converter. At some point during the cutting of the exhaust pipe, the Prius fell off the jack, crushing the man.

“It appears the vehicle fell down on top of him while he was trying to cut the catalytic converter off,” Maye said.

Deputies said the man did not live at the home. His name has not been released.

“A catalytic converter and the small amount of scrap value it holds is not worth the risk of losing your life,” the sheriff’s office said in a release.

The investigation is ongoing.

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‘It’s a lot of money’: More catalytic converters being stolen during pandemic, police say

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