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Residents are being warned to keep an eye out for suspicious activity after several recent thefts of catalytic converters.
In two separate incidents occurring around 5:30 a.m. on March 9, catalytic converters were stolen from underneath vehicles in the 200 block of Oliver Street, as well as in the 200 block of Oak Street in Jersey Shore, Lycoming Regional police said.
Additional thefts were also reported in Lock Haven and Pine Creek Township in Clinton County.
This is not the first time the Jersey Shore area has been hit by the bandits, according to Lycoming Regional Police Captain Christopher Kriner.
"We had several taken in the Jersey Shore-area back around Thanksgiving," the captain said.
In the early morning hours of Nov. 23, catalytic converters were stolen from vehicles in the 500 block of Washington Avenue and the 300 block of Seminary Street, according to Kriner.
"It’s quite possible that it could be the same group, just based on some video and stuff like that," he said.
While there are currently no suspects or vehicle descriptions of the perpetrators, Kriner stressed there are several ways that the public can help safeguard themselves from the crime.
"They’re targeting people that park on the street or cars that are left in parking lots overnight, so if you have to park on the street, if you’re able to park near a ring doorbell camera, that provides us with some good surveillance video of some of these thefts."
Kriner says that most of the thefts are occurring between two and five in the morning.
"If you are the victim of a theft, we want you to report that, because the more people that report them, that’s more information and possible evidence that we can gather to try and identify these groups of people that are doing this."
"If you’re hearing the sounds of old metal cutting, loud noises, if you see a car parked in your neighborhood that doesn’t belong and it’s occupied, or running, if you see guys get out of a car and walk up to another car, those are the things to look for."
"If you see anything suspicious, we want our residents to report that, and when I say report it, I mean call 911," Kriner stressed.
"That’s the quickest way to get the police to that area to locate the source and hopefully get some good evidence."
"Some people worry, ‘Is this an emergency, is it really suspicious?’" Kriner said. "Don’t worry about that. All you need to do is call 911."
"Don’t wait until the next morning and say, ‘Hey, I saw this or I saw that,’" Kriner added. "That’s what these people pay taxes for, to have us police their neighborhoods. We are there 24/7, and we do want them to use 911 to get us there in the most expedient manner possible."
One of the best ways for the public to help police investigations is for those with doorbell cameras or other similar systems to check them regularly for any suspicious activity and report it immediately to authorities.
"Our crimewatch site allows residents to register their cameras," Kriner said. "It’s just basically a location letting us know that there’s a camera at the house."
"It doesn’t let us access the camera or anything like that," Kriner stressed. "It just basically tells us that we might want to look at this house or knock on this door because they have a camera, and something happened, maybe a half a block away."
Though the recent reports are local, Kriner said such thefts stretch beyond the region.
"It’s not just Jersey Shore. It’s going on all throughout the state," Kriner said. "It is a big problem. The state has actually come up with a new law specifically for stealing catalytic converters."
Anyone with information on the catalytic converter thefts is urged to contact the Lycoming Regional Police Department or call 9-1-1.