Philadelphia Officers Locate Stolen Toyota Camry — Suspect Inside the Car Attempts to Hide Behind Clothing
- March 26, 2012
- recovery stories
On the morning of Saturday March 3, 2012, the owner of a 2009 Toyota Camry started her vehicle’s engine and returned to her residence. A short time later, she looked out of her window and watched as her vehicle was driven away. She immediately called 911 and the Philadelphia Police Radio dispatched a 19th District Officer to investigate the incident.
The responding officer arrived on location, verified the theft, prepared a stolen vehicle report and had the Toyota’s information entered into the state and federal crime databases. This routine police action automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed within the Toyota. Neither the owner nor law enforcement agents had to do anything else to activate the LoJack Vehicle Recovery System, because the interface between LoJack and the police is both seamless and instantaneous.
A few minutes later, officers with the Philadelphia Police Department’s 35th District began to receive the silent homing signal from the stolen Toyota on the LoJack Police Tracking Computers installed in their patrol vehicles. Following the directional and signal strength cues on the tracking computer, the officers located the parked Toyota in the 5500 block of North Marshall Street.
As the officers approached the vehicle, they observed that the vehicle’s engine was running, and a female was seated in the driver’s seat. When the suspect saw the officers, the placed a piece of clothing over her head in attempt to shield herself from their view. Nevertheless, the officers placed her under arrest and transported her to the Philadelphia Police Department’s Northwest Division. The suspect was charged with auto theft, and the Toyota was recovered and impounded for safekeeping until it could be returned to the owner.