I was just wondering if other areas are experiencing the rash of scrap metal theft that we dealing with in western Pennsylvania. It has hit near epidemic proportions around here.The worst part is a lot of the stuff that is stolen isn't scrap at all.Empty buildings are stripped of all plumbing and wiring.If you live in house with aluminum siding the odds of returning home to find large sections missing are high.H*** the scrap companies have to lock their buildings like bank vaults because a-holes steal from one and sell it to the next one.While I was at work today I confronted a guy trying to steal the rad out of truck in broad daylight.He ran before I could get close enough to grab him. It's a parts truck ( mine) stored on an industrial property that belongs to my employer.We called the police and seemed to know who the guy was by description but couldn't locate him.The tenant who leases part of the property is scrap dealer.Last week they had about $1500 worth of burning equipment stolen out their office trailer. This s*** is nuts. Is this a national problem or just a local one? Thanks for reading my rant.

 

well we dont have the problem around here , we have a big box crate outside the shop , we through all of our scrap aluminum in and nobody bothers it ....

 

I haven't heard to much issue yet, but it's not just a local problem the company I drive for got a notice from indiana state police warning about someone hijacking semi's and making the driver drive it into some place in IL where they unload it for the scrape (picks on trucks loaded with metal) so far they have released the truck and driver unharmed but this is nuts. I am sure it's only a matter of time till it hits local to me too as soon as the low lifes start running out of scrape laying around in fence rows.

 

This is happening all across the United States..

Here in MA some lowlife stole the bronze plaque of a woman who died on 9/11.

They are also stealing copper and aluminum..

When they think they can make a quick buck they do it...

One scrap yard owner vacationing in Florida was checking on his property in MA via Camera over the internet and saw someone stealing metal from his yard.. He phoned the local police and they nabbed him..

 

I've read about 4 articles in newspapers of people getting electrocuted while trying to steal copper wire...and we're talking Sub-station electrocution here.

Major limbs lost.

 

Manhole covers and armco crash barriers (the steel stuff on highway curves) are popular. So is any roll of copper wire.

 

A third world crime wave hits the USA!!!

Destroy complex and expensive infrastructure for a few cents per pound!

 

Around here it is getting kind of bad also. They've stripped empty buildings stole from businesses, even gone in and stole out of homes. Guess there is no limit to what people will steal. Where there is a buck to be made somebody will try to do it.

 

Air conditioning compressors and plumbing are disapearing around here. Also there was a news story about someone stealing 25 catalytic convertors from SUV's while the people where in church. If you can beleive that.

 

Brass sheet per pound is $6. Three years ago, I paid $128 for 23 pounds of German Silver sheet in a roll (12 inches wide) with the discount starting at 15 pounds . Now I will have to pay over $300 for just over 15 pounds. (German Silver is "Nickel Silver")

I spoke with a SCA armourer friend earlier and he told me the price for three sheets of stainless steel suitable alloy for making armour and helmets has gone up to over $1000 from what it used to be at only $300. Spring steel prices have gone up as well as steel sheet in general.

Prices of metals have gone up considerably all over. The local car junk yard has had hundreds of vehicles crushed because scrap prices have gone up. Last year, we had several vehicles crushed (because the Planning and Zoning problem) to get rid of, but it was done for free because the crusher could get his money back from the scrap monies. Otherwise, we would have had to pay him to do this.

But I remember reading recently there was a scam in Germany where a group of scrap metal thieves passed themselves off as railroad workers cutting up railroad tracks from unused railways. Hauling them off to be sold for scrap. They got caught because a village offical got suspicious of their "credentials" and called authorities.

 

ITs getting bad around here too. My buddies family does directional boring and pipelaying, and we have seen rolls of tubing disappear and have almost had one friend get run over trying to stop the truck that was there stealing. Then you get the clowns that decided to steal a bronze statue that was donated to the city by its founding fathers granddaughter back in the 30s. Stole it right from the historical society. People are getting ballsy and I am just waiting for the day to start hearing abotu some punks getting ventilated!

 

At the building our old shop was located in. A couple men came in with a phony demolish electrical paper work. They even went as far as having work shirts with the electrical company name on them. The very old light system was the style with 1/2 inch thick x 4 inch wide x 10 foot long plate of number 1 copper. They got 3 truck loads out before anyone noticed the paper work was phony. To top it off the chevy pickup truck they were using was stolen with Texas plates, both men had warrants in 4 states for the same thing. The person who noticed it was phony, let them start working and called the police. They were caught in the act.

 

They take anythng they can get quickly.....also they took the a/c unit from a church, and took the coils from the refrigeration units from a closed store....

 

Its so bad here they are putting locator devices in ac units. The scrap yards reguire picture id. I've seen several new homes have the copper cut out of them.

 

My friend's parents back in Michigan bought a second piece of property with an old house on it thinking they could tear it down and build a new one in a few years. They were hoping to get back a few extra bucks from all the aluminum siding on the house but before they could take it back some punks came and stole it all in the middle of the night!