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Thieves stealing car parts for quick cash in St. Johns County

A mysterious thief is stealing car parts from folks in St. Johns County and neighbors told First Coast News they are fed up. The car part that they are stealing: One that you won't notice until your car doesn't start.

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. - A mysterious thief is stealing car parts from folks in St. Augustine and neighbors told First Coast News they are fed up. The car part that they are stealing: One that you won't notice until your car doesn't start.

"I was really upset," Brianna Smith said. "I was late for work. I cried in the phone after I called the cops."

Smith is one of nine people whose cars were missing their catalytic converter. It was sawed off sometime Saturday night. The next day, she started her car and said it didn't sound right.

"It sounded really weird," she said. "Like a lawnmower."

Richard Molner, the president of Ricks Muffler Shop in St. Augustine said the thief is sneaking under your cars to take the part.

"They're sneaking underneath your car with a battery-operated device like a saw or something cutting it off, yanking it out of the car and scooting away," Molner said.

He said these parts are being stolen within 60 seconds and can result in fast cash.

"They're selling them for $40 to $50 a piece," he said.

The cost to repair it, however, is costing car owners up to $500 to fix it, Molner said.

A stack of police reports reveal similar incidents, however, no one has seen or heard anything. Until an arrest is made, Smith said she now has to do something she never thought would become the norm:

"Now I do, have to bend over and make sure that this part is still here (before starting my car)," she said.

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