Hundreds of cars converged at Orchard Beach on Friday as part of an effort to safeguard their vehicles against catalytic converter thieves.

The NYPD held an anti-theft event to combat the growing number of robbery cases linked to the lucrative car parts. Vehicles at the event were outfitted with a specialized NYPD decal that was installed on the driver's converter with a serial number.

Inspector Robert LaPollo told News 12 that there were 9,000 catalytic converter thefts citywide last year, with the Bronx containing the highest number of cases reported among the five boroughs.

Officials say that a converter can cost up to $1,000 for a driver to replace. The decal installed by law enforcement helps to embed the serial number on the catalytic converter into the vehicle part, so that if the thief tries to remove the number from the part it won't work.

This year, LaPollo says the Bronx has seen a 17% drop and the city as a whole has seen a 35% drop thanks to NYPD prevention events.

The NYPD says it plans to offer events like this one in each of the five boroughs throughout 2023.