By Hannah Ludwig, Newswire Intern 

In the past two weeks, there have been multiple auto part thefts of both tires and catalytic converters that have affected Xavier students in and around campus. 

According to City Alert, tires are one of the most frequently stolen car parts due to their easy removal and high selling price, as well as the fact that they are not traceable. 

Several students have had their tires stolen in the University Station parking lot off of Cleneay Avenue. Junior criminal justice major James Mahoney was one of these students. On Oct. 7, most likely around the time frame of 3 to 4 a.m., the tires were stolen off his car. 

“I was walking to my car to drive to my 8:30 a.m. in Cohen because I’m lazy, and I realized my tires were gone. I was shocked for all of about 10 seconds, then I phoned Norwood PD and filed a report,” Mahoney said. 

There is no video footage of the perpetrators since University Station currently does not have any surveillance cameras in their parking lot. However, the Norwood Police Department is actively on Mahoney’s case and is looking at surveillance cameras on Montgomery Road and Dana Avenue to find the perpetrators. Mahoney will also be taking extra measures to protect his car in the future. 

“Since UStation has no cameras or security whatsoever to help prevent events like this, I had to take it into my own hands. I am changing my lot to one that is patrolled and is under surveillance by XUPD instead of being inside UStation’s sphere. I also bought lug locks and will be investing in a kill switch security system for my car,” Mahoney said. 

This car part thievery is not an isolated incident, as multiple catalytic converters, a device controlling emissions located on the underside of a car, have been stolen off of cars parked on Hudson Avenue and surrounding areas. 

Senior international business and marketing double major Margo Meadows had her catalytic converter stolen, also on Oct. 14. Although she has a security camera, it did not catch the thief.  

“I got in my car to drive to school, and it made the most awful noise ever,” Meadows said. “Under my car, there were pieces that were unscrewed that were just lying on the ground.” 

Meadows’s car is one of at least two confirmed cars that have had their catalytic converters stolen on Hudson Avenue alone, and there have been even more cases of the same incident in the surrounding area. 

According to the BBC, catalytic converters are targeted since they are easy to steal. Hybrid cars, which is the type of car Meadows owns, are the most common target. Additionally, since catalytic converters contain valuable metals, they make a fairly lucrative profit when sold and are expensive to replace. 

“I went to one place, and they told me $7,000 just to order it. Toyota was the last place I went to that ended up being the cheapest, and it’s still going to be $3,400, not including if they damaged any other things getting it out,” Meadows said.