Thieves going after catalytic converters in Aurora

Aurora police say they're investigating numerous thefts of catalytic converters that have occurred since Sunday.

Nine total thefts and an attempted theft all happened during the night on all different makes and models of cars parked on North Marywood Avenue, North Marywood Court, Tollview Avenue and North Farnsworth Avenue, police said in a news release.

Catalytic converters are often targeted because of the valuable metals within them.

Two men witnessed a gray Dodge Charger pull up to an apartment complex in North Farnsworth Avenue about 11:50 p.m. Tuesday. One man got out and knelt by a Chevrolet Venture. When one of the witnesses heard sawing, he approached the would-be thief, who got into the Charger and left south on Tollview to westbound Sheffer Road, police said.

When checked, the targeted vehicle had fresh saw marks near the catalytic converter, police said.

Police described the thieves as black men, about 5 feet 10 inches and 150 pounds each. One was wearing a gray shirt. The other had a red T-shirt and black ski-type hat.

Anyone with information should call Aurora Police Investigators at (630) 256-5500 or Aurora Area Crime Stoppers at (630) 892-1000. Calls to Crime Stoppers are anonymous and qualify for a cash reward of up to $5,000. Tips can also be submitted through the Aurora Police Department's free app available through iTunes, the Android Market or Amazon App Store.