Man stole catalytic converters in Massapequa LIRR lot, cops say

A Queens man awaiting trial in that county on charges of stealing catalytic converters from vehicles was arrested Thursday and charged in a similar scheme in Nassau County, police said.

A Nassau County patrol officer had seen a man “acting suspiciously” in a LIRR parking lot in Massapequa on Feb. 8, and knew about several recent thefts in the area of catalytic converters, police said.

The officer approached the man, who fled in a vehicle, but the officer got a partial plate number and found power tools at the scene that are commonly used to remove catalytic converters, police said.

Police said they arrested Michael Cipriati, 33, on Thursday at his home on 11th Avenue in Whitestone.

In the Queens case, Cipriati was charged in December with stealing more than a dozen catalytic converters from vehicles parked on the streets around the borough, prosecutors said. Cipriati, who is represented by a public defender, was released on bail in January and is due back in court March 6, according to online court records.

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown said at the time that thieves can sell the antipollution devices for a “a few hundred dollars,” but the replacement cost to the owner can be much higher.

In Nassau, Cipriati was awaiting arraignment Friday in First District Court on charges of criminal possession of stolen property, criminal mischief, tampering with physical evidence, auto stripping and possession of burglar’s tools, police said.