Torrington Public Schools delayed due to thefts of catalytic converters from buses

TORRINGTON, CT (WFSB) - Torrington Public Schools were delayed 2 hours on Tuesday because of the theft of catalytic converters from school buses.

The district alerted parents early Tuesday morning.

Ten buses were impacted. The district confirmed that the catalytic converters were stolen from the All-Star Transportation bus yard on Technology Park Drive.

“There are cameras everywhere at the bus yard,” said Susan Lubomski, superintendent of Torrington Public Schools. “I have no doubt they will find the person or persons who did this.”

However, the footage may not be much help. All-Star said the suspects parked out of view. Lit flashlights can be seen in the footage, but it was mostly dark when it was recorded around 2:30 a.m.

Stephan Gardner, general manager of All-Star Transportation, told Channel 3 that the phone rang off the hook on Tuesday morning as parents wondered how they were supposed to get their children to school.

Gardner said that the buses targeted were those that carry students with special needs.

“It usually takes about 3 minutes to cut out a catalytic converter in a Type 2,” he said.

“Type 2″ buses from All-Star are equipped with two catalytic converters. However, the thieves only took one from each targeted vehicle.

“It’s probably going to cost over $30,000 to fix,” Gardner said.

School officials apologized to parents for the inconvenience and said the investigation was ongoing.

“We are anticipating a routine dismissal [Tuesday] afternoon and regular day [Wednesday],” Lubomski said.

Refresh this page and watch Eyewitness News for updates.

Copyright 2023 WFSB. All rights reserved.