Police: 2 charged in catalytic converter thefts after father, son hold them until arrest

Two New York City men were arrested and charged with the thefts of catalytic converters from "numerous vehicles" after being caught in the act under a Hyundai Tucson SUV by a father and son Sunday in Elmont, Nassau County police said.

Police said Geordan Campbell, 19, of Manhattan, and Tevin Reid, 20, of the Bronx, were arrested by Fifth Precinct officers responding to a 911 call reporting the thefts and attempted thefts of the converters from cars parked on Clement Avenue at 8:35 a.m. The father and son detained the two, who were discovered using a special saw to remove the converters, until officers arrived.

The two were each charged with two counts of fourth-degree grand larceny, four counts of third-degree criminal mischief, four counts of possession of burglar tools, four counts of fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, four counts of first-degree auto stripping and two counts of petit larceny.

Both suspects were arraigned Monday in First District Court in Hempstead and released with non-monetary restrictions, online records show.

Catalytic converters are a vehicle exhaust emissions device. A new one can cost more than $1,000, and the devices often fetch hundreds of dollars on the black market, officials said.

Police said that officers tied Campbell and Reid to the thefts of other converters from vehicles on nearby Hunnewell Avenue and Louis Avenue — thefts that took place between 5 a.m. and the time of the 911 call Sunday.

Over the weekend, two other suspects were arraigned in First District Court after being caught on surveillance video stealing catalytic converters from vehicles outside a business in Glen Cove, police said.

And just last week, the state Department of Motor Vehicles said officials would work with local auto dealers’ associations to distribute kits that can etch a traceable serial number onto catalytic converters — so stolen converters could be traced back to the original vehicle if it's recovered by police after a theft. A serial number would also enable law enforcement to charge the individual in possession of the stolen converter. 

Since the beginning of the pandemic, DMV officials said the theft of catalytic converters has increased as much as 200% in some parts of the state. Statistics show thieves have been targeting catalytic converters more often in Nassau than in Suffolk County. 

Nassau police spokesman Det. Lt. Richard LeBrun said there were 50 such thefts reported at this point last year — while, as of last week, 402 have been recorded so far this year.

Suffolk police have recorded 200 converter thefts this year, with 90 in January alone, officials said. 

With Robert Brodsky 
 

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”