Arrest made in North Bellport catalytic converter theft, 3 sought in Holtsville theft

A Brentwood man was arrested and charged with stealing catalytic converters from two vehicles in North Bellport in August, Suffolk County police said Thursday.

The announcement comes as police also released video surveillance footage tied to the theft of a catalytic converter from a parked Honda Accord last month in Holtsville. Detectives say they are looking for three men and a silver Mercedes in that theft, and offering a Crime Stoppers reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.

In the North Bellport thefts, police said that following an investigation, Fifth Squad detectives arrested Kevin Vasquez, 21, on Wednesday, and charged him with fourth-degree grand larceny and two counts of third-degree criminal mischief.

Vasquez was released on a desk appearance ticket and is due to appear for arraignment at a later date in First District Court in Central Islip. It was not immediately clear if Vasquez is represented by counsel.

Police said Vasquez stole the catalytic converters off two Chevrolet utility vans parked in the lot of B&R Mechanical, at 16 Sawgrass Dr., sometime between Aug. 26 and 29.

Police said he left the scene in a black Nissan Sentra.

A catalytic converter is an exhaust emission control device that converts pollutants in exhaust from car engines and is part of a vehicle exhaust system. According to police and motor vehicle experts like Carfax, catalytic converters can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000 depending on the make and model of a vehicle and thefts of these converters have exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic. The devices contain precious metals such as platinum, palladium and rhodium.

In Suffolk County, 819 catalytic converters have been stolen through August of this year, up from 289 in all of 2021, according to Suffolk police. Nassau saw an even larger increase, with 445 reported in 2021 rising to 1,549 through August of this year, according to department spokesman Det. Lt. Richard LeBrun.

In the Holtsville theft, which occurred on Gazebo Lane on Sept. 15 at 5:10 a.m., police issued a Crime Stoppers alert.

Police said three men, all wearing dark clothing, got out of a silver Mercedes and used a hydraulic lift and "cutting tools" to access and steal the catalytic converter.

Police said video surveillance of the Holtsville theft can be seen at www.youtube.com/SCPDTV by clicking on the link: Wanted for Holtsville Auto Stripping 22-12087.

Police are asking anyone with information about the theft to call Crime Stoppers at 800-220-TIPS. Tipsters can also use a mobile app that can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play by searching P3 Tips or can file tips online at www.P3Tips.com.

All calls, text messages and emails will remain confidential, police said, and tipsters are eligible for a cash reward for any information leading to an arrest.

With Vera Chinese

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.”