'Justice served': Tow truck driver turns vigilante when thieving kids start stealing catalytic converters, ends up towing their car straight to the junkyard

Author image for Jesse Kessenheimer
Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Oct 15, 2024 1:00 PM EDT

This tow truck driver worked closely with local law enforcement after getting the catalytic converters stolen out of his car, converting thievery into cold, hard justice. 

There's nothing worse than the sinking feeling in your gut when your car won't start. Usually occurring on the worst mornings–as you're running late, spilling your coffee, and cursing the sunrise–the sickening click click click of the ignition can send any driver into a spiral. Knowing you may have a pricey repair on the horizon only gets compounded when you discover that your catalytic converter has been stolen. Oof. But when the tow truck driver in our next story noticed that a crucial component of his car was missing, he decided to get even. 

Catching a couple of neighborhood kids on camera, the man decided to do some vigilante work of his own, tracking down the thugs, finding their sketchy, unregistered vehicle, and giving them a complimentary tow to the junkyard. Keep scrolling for this satisfying tale of revenge. 

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    Cheezburger Image 10416374272
    via Robert Kneschke

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    If you're gonna steal the catalytics off my truck you should've checked if they were actually functional first, wasn't so funny when it was turn.
    via ZZZ-Top
  • 03
    Was a fun morning at the beginning of last week starting up my truck and waking everyone up at 2:45am to learn someone swiped the hollowed out cats. The idiots missed the neighbors cameras that basically gave away who they were. Its two
    via ZZZ-Top
  • 04
    kids from the area who drive around in a pretty busted up police crown vic. I chose not to call the cops, instead I called one of my friends who's code enforcement and let him know what my plan was and he relayed the info to the police that I
    via ZZZ-Top
  • 05
    was finally going to do a nuisance tow on that same crown victoria The car they drive isnt street legal as it has no license plates or insurance or working taillights and rattles like due to the trash sound system
    via ZZZ-Top
  • 06
    they also spend their whole day at a chicken shack smoking. Not sure who theyre getting money from but I'm guessing stealing catalytics was part of the equation. When I spotted the car sitting on a quiet street I called it in and got the go ahead to
    via ZZZ-Top
  • 07
    tow. I took it straight to the police station and they tried to run a owner check with the vin number only to find out it hadn't been registered since 2011 and the owner was someone other than the kids who sold them the car with no title because of all the back registration owed
    via ZZZ-Top
  • 08
    The cops said we can go ahead and take it to the junkyard til they can get a Black title (aka certificate of destruction). By then the two idiots were running around all over town looking for their car thinking it got stolen by one of their friends
    via ZZZ-Top
  • 09
    as a prank(the key lock was so worn out you could start it with any car key). They found it at the junkyard and tried to steal it by one of them distracting the owner and the other stealing their car but the junkyard was aware of who they were so they cut the driveshaft off beforehand.
    via ZZZ-Top
  • 10
    I missed out on this part but they got arrested for trying to steal their car back and they watched as the junkyard used a crane to rip the car to shreds when I saw it the remains looked like a toddler just ripped it to the bare frame out of
    via ZZZ-Top
  • 11
    curiosity. They been out of jail since but haven't left their trailer, i did a drive by earlier and noticed a beater jeep liberty in their driveway also with no plates and already working with the cops on taking that too if I see it out in a public except I won't miss the show next time.
    via ZZZ-Top
  • 12
    Smassshed I've had 2 taken from 2 cars. These guys cause more damage than the value they get back, not to mention the hassle it puts you through. And the police seem powerless or unwilling to do anything about it. Well done on justice served.
    via Smassshed
  • 13
    ZZZ-Top OP Cops have been knowing its them but they cant do anything because when they get caught they dont have anything on them thats why were planning on swiping their SUV as soon as we see it parked out in public.
    via ZZZ-Top
  • 14
    sleepdeficitzzz You're my hero. ☺ Catalytic converter theft is so trashy. profwithstandards Yep. That's one of the big reasons I don't want to get a car yet. I want to move to a safer area to help mitigate the possibility.
    via sleepdeficitzzz
  • 15
    fantasticmaximillian Cat thieves are serial offenders, and by the time they're finally caught, they've usually offended dozens to hundreds of times. It's an awful crime that does lasting damage to those near the poverty line, and the penalties need to be made severe.
    via fantasticmaximillian
  • 16
    Fortune Telling I used to drive a Prius, which is the easiest target for cat theft. Some nights I had to rent my neighbor's garage to hide the car. Other neighbors had their Prius's cats stolen in broad daylight. Terrible.
    via FortuneTelling
  • 17
    Glad to drive electric now. All I get is coal-rolled and given the finger from EV haters. I can live with that. Good work.
    via FortuneTelling

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thieves neighbors towed tow truck kids neighborhood revenge tow petty revenge thugs Reddit payback thief
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