It's been a while since I'd heard that stealing catalytic converters from cars was a thing. From some local reports, it's becoming popular again (also in Portland, OR and probably other places). I'd read a while back that the value of palladium went up significantly, so maybe that's a factor.
Same here - thefts suddenly became regular news in recent months, after not hearing about them for a while. Local favorite targets are 2004-2009 Prii, apparently due to ease of access. 1 to 3 minutes typical elapsed time.