Oscar Mayer’s Wienermobile is iconic for its 27-foot-long hot dog on wheels. The vehicle was in Las Vegas for a series of Super Bowl-related events over the weekend.
However, crew members discovered the catalytic converter had been stolen overnight on Friday morning. Las Vegas CBS affiliate KLAS TV reported the iconic vehicle was towed to Penske Truck Rental, where mechanics installed a temporary converter to drive it to its 10 a.m. event.
Joseph Rodriguez, Penske’s parts administrator, told the news station he was bemused when he found a hot dog truck in their shop. He added that the local area has a “huge problem” with stolen cases of the catalytic converter. Other vehicles were often left waiting for around three months to deliver their replacement part. He said the Weinermobile would have to wait a month or two for its permanent catalytic converter.
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The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) indicated the rising cases of stolen converter catalytic to the skyrocketing value of their metal parts. (Photo: ABC27)
Rising Cases of Stolen Catalytic Converters
Several big cities are also seeing a wave of stolen catalytic converters as the value of the metals they are made of has skyrocketed. They are also easy to remove just by using basic tools. Catalytic converters are made of rhodium, palladium, and platinum. Metal recyclers usually pay $50 to $250 for the devices.
Fortune cites the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), indicating catalytic converter theft from 2019 to 2022 across the U.S. has increased by 1,215%. In 2021 data, California has recorded around 1,600 catalytic converters were stolen monthly.
Last November, the U.S. Justice Department announced it had taken down a nationwide catalytic converter theft ring. FBI Director Christopher Wray said the group earned hundreds of millions of dollars through the scheme.
The NICB advises car owners to park their vehicles in a garage or areas with a camera, put a Vehicle Identification Number in the car’s catalytic converter, or install a catalytic converter anti-theft device.
