Lexus SUV Stolen in Berkeley, Recovered in Less than 2 Hours, Undamaged in Strip Mall Parking Lot
- March 29, 2012
- recovery stories
On the morning of March 8, 2012, the owner of a 2010 Lexus RX350 discovered that his car had been stolen in Berkeley, California and immediately contacted the Berkeley Police Department to report the theft.
Berkeley Police prepared a stolen vehicle report and had this information entered into the state and federal crime databases. This routine police action automatically and seamlessly activated the LoJack transponder concealed in the Lexus SUV. The transponder then began to emit a silent homing signal to police vehicles in the area equipped with LoJack Police Tracking Computers (PTC).
A few minutes later, several police agencies in the East Bay, including the Oakland Police Department, Oakland California Highway Patrol and the El Cerrito Police Department – all equipped with LoJack PTCs – picked up the silent LoJack tracking signal from the stolen Lexus. El Cerrito officers followed the computer’s tracking cues and quickly located the stolen Lexus, abandoned in a strip mall parking lot. The car was undamaged, and was impounded for safekeeping until the owner could respond to reclaim his car.
The LoJack Vehicle Recovery System was installed in the Lexus SUV at Lexus Marin in San Rafael, CA on February 24, 2010.