DEARBORN (WWJ) - Multiple people visiting Greenfield Village on Thursday ended the evening on a bad note after they discovered thieves stripped essential parts from their vehicles.
Dearborn police confirmed they received several calls out to the historic site after visitors reported the catalytic converters were taken off their cars while in the parking lot.
"Great visit — until we went out to parking lot and several cars had their catalytic converters stolen including my sons," a user on social media wrote about the incident. "It was in their parking lot that has a brick wall on each side closest to the freeway.. not a cheap thing to replace."
Dearborn Police Corporal Dan Bartok told WWJ's Luke Sloan that the thefts are not unique to Dearborn -- there's been a rise in catalytic converter thefts across Metro Detroit.
Places like Greenfield Village create perfect opportunities for thieves, the corporal said.
"They're looking for areas that have a lot of vehicles that are parked with easy access and they take advantage of public events," Bartok explained.
He stressed the importance of taking precautions to protect your car from falling victim of theft.
"What we're encouraging people to do is pay attention to their surrounding, to park in well it areas and try to park in well traveled areas," Bartok added.
The corporal said thieves make quick work of stealing catalytic converters -- the entire process can take two minutes, costing vehicle owners between $1,000 to $3,000 to replace depending on the make and model.