Man Crushed To Death By Car After Jack Fails While Trying To Steal Catalytic Converter

A man who sneaked underneath a car in California allegedly to steal its catalytic converter was crushed to death after the vehicle fell on him, police said.

The incident happened at an industrial complex at 1631 Placentia Avenue in Anaheim at around 6 a.m. on Wednesday. The unidentified man was found crushed under a Toyota Prius, Mercury News reported.

Sean Harp, an employee of a construction company at the same complex, discovered the body under the car after his colleague alerted him. Harp said that he saw the man’s torso under the car with the legs sticking out, the outlet reported.

Harp said he also saw a cordless saw and a tool pouch near the man, which implied he was apparently trying to steal the catalytic converter. Harp said that the theft of catalytic converters has been on the rise in recent weeks at the industrial complex.

Sgt. Shane Carringer at the Anaheim Police Department said the man died after the jack he was using to elevate the car failed and the vehicle came down on the man, according to KABC-TV.

"There was a little scissor jack there that obviously wasn’t secured well enough underneath the vehicle," Harp told a reporter present at the scene, according to Mercury News.

"There was a little scissor jack there that obviously wasn’t secured well enough underneath the vehicle," Harp added.

"I really felt bad for the guy," Harp continued. "We don’t know his circumstances, you know."

Carringer said the vehicle belongs to a business at the complex. Authorities from the Orange County Coroner’s Office reportedly responded to the scene and removed the body from underneath the car. Officials were working to identify the man.

According to KABC-TV, thieves target catalytic converters because they seek to sell the metal extracted from the car part. "They're filled with precious metals such as platinum, palladium and rhodium. I believe they melt them down and separate the metals and sell them because they're worth more than gold," a business owner at the industrial complex told the station.