JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The general manager of March Motors, a dealership on Atlantic Boulevard in Jacksonville, said Tuesday that his business was targeted by thieves, who were caught on surveillance cameras cutting the catalytic converters from eight pickup trucks on his lot.
Jason March said it happened early Christmas morning, and his dealership wasn’t the only business targeted along the road. His surveillance cameras caught three men on the car lot with saws, cutting the valuable components from the vehicles.
March, who is also the president of the Florida Independent Auto Dealers Association, said his employees didn’t realize the catalytic converters were stolen until they returned to work Monday and started the vehicles up.
“And there’s nothing worse than starting up a vehicle and having the exhaust cut out from under it because it’s a very loud noise and there’s no mistaking what happened,” March said.
When March and his employees reviewed videos from all the surveillance cameras, they discovered that it took the thieves close to 30 minutes to remove catalytic converters from eight Toyota pickup trucks. One camera angle shows the men holding the converters as they made their way across the parking lot.
March said after the men got what they came for, they cut a hole through a fence and made their way to a getaway vehicle that was waiting on Alton Avenue. Police believe the getaway car was a white Alfa Romeo that was recorded on another surveillance camera.
“We did have footage of a car that was circling the block out back and hopefully that can lead to some clues on who these people are,” March said.
Each catalytic converter averages about $1,000 to replace. But all the trucks that were targeted had two converters underneath, so when you do the math, it adds up to $16,000 plus installation costs.
March said that given the number of catalytic converters reported stolen all over the country this year, he believes the thieves are likely part of an organized crime ring.
“I think there is somebody at the top who is funding these lower-level people that are stealing them. And I’m not sure what the procedure is for selling a stolen catalytic converter, but I think we need to make it more difficult,” March said.
Multiple catalytic converters were stolen from a dealership not far from this car lot that same morning, but the owner of that dealership asked that it not be named in the police report.
March asks anyone with information that could help police to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.