Bronx welder creates 'cat safe' invention to stop catalytic converter theft
NEW YORK CITY - A professional welder of nearly four decades, the Bronx's Rafael Greco now teaches the craft at a union school.
The craftsman has spent the past few months working on an idea that he believes is a solution to a growing problem in NYC.
Catalytic converter thefts have been on the rise for years now. It’s a valuable exhaust emission control device made with precious metals that thieves can turn around and sell for up to $1,000.
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The NYPD says the Bronx saw the most catalytic converters stolen in 2023.
It was 7 a.m. one morning when Rafe’s wife saw someone stealing a catalytic converter from underneath her Hyundai. The thieves got away and Rafe was forced to buy a new one for his wife’s car.
"She said can’t you weld something in here to keep them from doing that, and I said, ‘yeah I probably could,’" he said.
So, Rafe got to work, and now he has his own what he calls "Cat Safe" invention – a contraption that includes chains, cables and clamps that would take a thief hours to cut through.
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"I weld the chain into this chain and I weld all along the chain along the whole length of the muffler and that way it’s almost impossible to get it out," said Greco.
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Rage started putting that contraption underneath cars of family members, friends and neighbors and is now turning it into a side gig.
He charges $250 to build it and install it underneath your vehicle, a process he says takes only 45 minutes.