Man Steals Catalytic Converters From Cars In Westchester: Police

A man faces numerous charges after allegedly stealing catalytic converters from vehicles throughout the Hudson Valley and Connecticut, including one that was parked at a high school, police said.

A Bronx man is charged with stealing a catalytic converter from a car parked at Putnam Valley High School.
Photo Credit: *Google Maps street view/Kim2480, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons*

Ben Crnic

05/13/2023 11:00 a.m.

The arrest stemmed from an incident that happened on Thursday, March 23 around 3 p.m., when a Putnam County sheriff's deputy assigned as a school resource officer at Putnam Valley High School was told that a vehicle parked in the school's lot had a catalytic converter stolen from it.

According to the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, this deputy was able to obtain surveillance video of the area and turned the case over to investigators at the Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

These investigators were soon able to develop a suspect and also began working with detectives from other jurisdictions who were also looking into crimes allegedly committed by the same suspect, including the Bronxville and Yonkers Police Departments in Westchester County and the Southington Police Department in Hartford County.

On Wednesday, May 10, investigators from the Sheriff's Office arrested 38-year-old Nelson Ramirez of the Bronx for the Putnam Valley theft.

He was charged with:

Fourth-degree grand larceny;
Third-degree criminal mischief;
Third-degree auto stripping.

He was arraigned in the Town of Putnam Valley Court and was later released on his own recognizance to appear in court at a later date.

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