Georgia Man Crushed to Death While Trying to Steal Catalytic Converter: Police

A Georgia man was crushed to death by a car while he was allegedly attempting to steal a catalytic converter from a local auto-shop, police confirmed with Fox News Digital.

According to the Chatham County Police Department, Matthew Eric Smith, 32, was found dead on Tuesday at approximately 9:15 a.m., after a catalytic converter fell and crushed him at South Bound Auto Sales.

Thefts of catalytic converters are surging across the nation as thieves seek out precious metals like platinum, palladium and rhodium that fill the inside of the antipollution car part.

Autoshop owner Mike Abouharb shared that he found the man’s body when he arrived at work in the morning.

“I didn’t even get close to him,” Abouharb told WTOC-TV. “I called the police right away.”

Police ruled the death accidental, sharing that Smith’s death was “the result of an attempted catalytic converter theft.”