LoJack System Helps Fairfax County Police Department Recover Stolen Mercedes-Benz
- April 3, 2018
- recovery stories
The owners of a 2018 Mercedes-Benz CLA-250 contacted the Fairfax County Police Department to report that their vehicle was stolen from their dealership by a person who presented fraudulent identification to purchase the vehicle. Fairfax County Police Radio dispatched an officer to investigate the incident. The officer quickly arrived on location, interviewed the complainant and surveyed the area for the vehicle. Investigation by the officer on scene determined the vehicle was stolen after the dealership produced documentation showing that the vehicle was purchased using fraudulent identification and a fraudulent check as payment. When the officer was unable to locate the vehicle, a stolen vehicle report was prepared. The officer then arranged for the stolen vehicle information to be entered into the state and federal crime computers, which automatically activated the LoJack® System concealed in the 2018 Mercedes-Benz CLA-250.
A short while later, detectives from Regional Auto Theft Team in Baltimore County, Maryland picked up the silent LoJack signal from the stolen 2018 Mercedes-Benz CLA-250 with the LoJack Police Tracking Computers (PTC) installed in patrol vehicles and aircraft. Following the directional and audible cues from the PTC, the detectives tracked the vehicle to the Nottingham area of Baltimore County, Maryland. At this location, detectives observed the vehicle parked in the driveway of a residence. A search warrant was obtained for the location and evidence related to an ongoing identity theft scheme was recovered. Also recovered as a result was a 2010 Audi A5. Investigation found that this vehicle was also reported stolen in an identity theft case from a dealership in Manassas, Virginia. The suspect at the scene was arrested by detectives.
The LoJack® System was installed in the 2018 Mercedes-Benz CLA-250 in May, 2017 at Mercedes-Benz of Tyson’s Corner in Vienna, Virginia.