Lincoln Welder Stolen with Ford Pickup in CA — Only LoJack-Equipped Welder Recovered
- June 13, 2012
- recovery stories
On May 14, 2012, Hertz Rentals was advised that suspects stole a 2007 Lincoln Welder and the Ford pickup that was towing it from a rental customer in the City of Fairfield. The company reported the theft to the Fairfield Police Department.
Fairfield Police verified the theft and had the welder’s information entered into the California Stolen Vehicle System as well as the national system, NCIC. This routine police action automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed in the welder, prompting the transponder to begin emitting a silent homing signal. Neither the owners nor law enforcement had to do anything else to activate the LoJack Vehicle Recovery Network, as LoJack’s interface with the police is both seamless and instantaneous.
The next day, a California Highway Patrol officer on patrol near the waterfront in the city of Benicia began to receive the welder’s homing signal on the LoJack Police Tracking Computer (PTC) installed in his patrol car. Following the directional and signal strength cues from the PTC, the officer tracked the signal to a vacant lot in a residential area of Benicia. No suspects were located, and there was no sign of the stolen pickup. The $25,000 welder, however, was towed and stored until it could be released back to Hertz Rentals.