Police: 2 arrested, at least 2 wanted in theft of catalytic converters in Glen Cove

Police sources tell News 12 at least two more suspects may still be on the run after the group was caught Saturday trying to steal multiple catalytic converters from a local businesses parking lot.

News 12 Staff

May 7, 2022, 9:11 PM

Updated 946 days ago

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Police say they have arrested two of possibly four crooks accused of trying to steal catalytic converters in Glen Cove.
Police sources tell News 12 Long Island at least two more suspects may still be on the run after the group was caught Saturday trying to steal multiple catalytic converters from a local businesses parking lot.
Rubin Santana of Spectrum Security and Communications says he got an alert on his phone that someone was messing around in his parking lot around 8:30 a.m. The alert was only a few minutes after the team of thieves were able to saw off the catalytic converters on two of his delivery trucks.
Santana’s wife notified police who responded and caught up with the suspects' black Mercedes after it drove off and then crashed into a BMW a few blocks away.
Police say the driver of the BMW went to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The occupants of the Mercedes fled into a warehouse where two of them were caught.
The Glen Cove Police Department found multiple catalytic converters in the trunk of the Mercedes.
“Thank goodness for the police. They did their job, an awesome job,” said Santana.
The theft of catalytic converters is part of an ongoing trend of auto part and car theft in Nassau County.
In Nassau alone, nearly 500 catalytic converters have been stolen this year.
Hundreds of cars, police say, where drivers left the key fobs inside have also been reported stolen.
Nassau police are actively trying to stop the crooks, but the numbers keep rising.
For Santana, the damage to his trucks will be expensive.
"Over $11,000... and trucks out of service. Hopefully we'll get one going Monday," Santana said.
Meantime, Nassau police are aiding in the investigation, but Santana said if it wasn't for his cameras alerting him to the activity in the parking lot, the two crooks may not have gotten caught.
“I mean, I'm surprised they chose the alarm company, but they got caught doing it. So it did pay off,” “It is going on everywhere,” added Santana.
Nassau police are aiding Glen Cove in the investigation and used K-9s to track down the two suspects who were arrested.