MONTREAL -- Moving Day is just weeks away and the timing couldn't be worse for an NDG moving company that's been targeted by thieves.
When the staff of Bust A Move moving company arrived to their offices early on Saturday morning, they found the gate to their parking lot wide open.
“He saw a cut lock and knew instantly, 'Uh oh, something's gone down, something's happened,'” said co-owner Jonathan Painchaud.
When Painchaud's colleague checked the security footage, they found video of sparks flying as a man cut through the lock. He then appears to load 12 catalytic converters from the company's six trucks into a minivan.
According to Montreal police, theft of the auto component skyrocketed in the city in 2020, with more than 2,200 reports, more than three times what was reported in 2019 and seven times the number in 2018.
Painchaud said he has hope the person responsible will be caught.
“They have his photo, his license plate, a description of his vehicle,” he said.
Still, the theft has left Painchaud's company hurting during a busy time of year.
“All our trucks were to be out servicing clients that day, so it was a major scramble to get these trucks operational,” he said. “Luckily, all our clients were super understanding, so that was really great. From here on out, we're just dealing with it.”
