A Bristol Borough church was victimized recently when two suspects removed the catalytic converter from the parish community van that was captured by surveillance cameras.

The incident occurred on Saturday December 11 minutes after 9 pm when two suspects entered the property of Calvary Baptist Church, located at 250 Green Lane.

One suspect, acted as a look out crouching down on an angle along the passenger side of the vehicle video footage shows. The second suspect, slid under the van, with what appears to be a small saw and hacks off the converter and they take off.

Both suspects wore clothing to obscure their identities form, however, the feature story image you can make out some of the facial features of suspect number two, including the below waistline light colored rain jacket. Suspect number 1 was wearing a hoodie and both men appear to be about 5’9 to 6 feet tall, and possibly light skinned.

Suspect number two is holding a backpack in his hand as the duo flee the area.

The head lights of two vehicles can be seen passing in the foreground on Green Lane as the in progress theft takes place which totaled no more than two-minutes of total time.

Its the second time in recent months, officials said, the community van had its converter stolen.

Officer in Charge Sgt Joe Moors said the department is “actively investigating” the theft.

Moors said  if anyone saw suspicious activity on the night of the theft to please call the police department or if you can identify the thieves depicted in the images and video below.

The uptick in converter thefts in in the area and nationally has been going on for months now.

On the same day the church van was raped, eight vehicles on the 420 block of Howell St had their catalytic converters stolen from a fenced in area on the the property.

Catalytic converter regulates a vehicle’s emissions and in some vehicles, sawing it off can take just a minute. In others, it’s a bit more difficult, experts say. Auto Insurance experts say thieves target the converters because they can be easily flipped for cash at scrap yards due to the precious metals they contain and the soaring prices of those elements.

Catalytic converters contain trace amounts of precious metals, including platinum, palladium and rhodium, which in early March hit nearly $30,000 per ounce, thus the dramatic increase in converter thefts 

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