Philadelphia Police Recover Stolen Yamaha Motorcycle After Surveillance, Suspect Arrested
- June 19, 2012
- recovery stories
On the morning of Wednesday, May 23, 2012, the owner of a 2007 Yamaha YZFR1 motorcycle discovered the bike missing from his residence in Norristown, Pennsylvania. The owner called 911 and Norristown Police Radio dispatched an officer to investigate the incident. After verifying the theft, the Norristown Police entered the stolen Yamaha’s information into the state and federal crime computers, which activated the LoJack transponder concealed in the motorcycle.
A short time later, members of the Philadelphia Police Major Crimes Auto Squad picked up the Yamaha’s silent LoJack homing signal on the LoJack Police Tracking Computers installed in their patrol vehicles. Following the directional and audible cues on the LoJack Tracker, the officers isolated the vehicle’s location to an alley behind Gilbert Street. The officers were setting up surveillance nearby when they observed a Yamaha race from the alley, proceeding eastbound on Ivy Hill Road at a high rate of speed. The plainclothes investigators opted not to follow in pursuit of the vehicle for the safety of citizens in the highly-populated area, but instead notified Philadelphia Police Radio of the situation. A short time later, the undercover investigators’ Tracking Computers began to direct them back to the alley behind Gilbert Street. There, they located the motorcycle in a closed garage, which was shielded with garbage cans. After a brief investigation, the owner of the residence agreed to sign a Consent to Search form, and opened the garage to reveal the stolen motorcycle inside.
The Yamaha was confiscated to be processed for physical evidence, and one male resident was taken into custody. Norristown Police and the motorcycle’s owner were notified of the motorcycle’s recovery, and the incident remains under investigation by the Philadelphia Police Major Crimes Auto Squad.