CENTENNIAL, Colo. (KDVR) — A man suspected of stealing three catalytic converters from trucks in October has been arrested, according to the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office.
Jeremiah Jansen, 47, was arrested on an unrelated charge of motor vehicle theft in Douglas County on Jan. 3.
The stolen parts, taken from three Toyota Tacoma trucks, were tracked to a scrapyard in Denver. A video of the recovery was posted by the Sheriff’s Office in early November.
Investigators said they found a large pile of converters at the scrapyard.
“It was surprising that investigators came back and showed the body-worn camera footage of how many catalytic converters the scrap yard did have. they had a large container. A large bin [contained] 50 or 60 catalytic converters,” Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Matt Davis said.
An arrest warrant was issued for Jansen on Nov. 30 on counts of theft, identity theft and criminal mischief, all felonies.
As of Tuesday, Jansen was held in the Douglas County Detention Facility in lieu of a $10,000 bond.
Making an arrest in a case like this is described as rare, and retrieving converters for owners is even more seldom.
“It’s very difficult. [Catalytic converters] don’t have a VIN number attached to them. They don’t have an identifying or a part number,” said Matt Davis, with the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office.
A stolen catalytic converter wreaks havoc on victims.
Owners are often surprised to start their car and hear a deafening sound rumbling vibrating sound, and replacing them can be very difficult.
“The problem is when you go to find a replacement of a certified catalytic converter, you can’t find them. They are just not available. You punch them on the (web) site and they are not available,” Colorado Independent Automobile Dealers Association CEO David Cardella said.
Catalytic converter thefts have been rising in several Colorado Communities.
In Denver, police said, there were 269 catalytic converters stolen city wide in 2020. The number of thefts jumped to 2,688 in 2022.
The Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority said catalytic converter thefts went from 189 in 2019 to 9,811 in 2021, an increase of 5,000% in less than three years.
