Owner Leaves Valet Key in Car, Toyota Stolen and Quickly Recovered by New Orleans Police
- June 29, 2012
- recovery stories
On May 22, 2012, the owner of a 2007 Toyota Camry contacted the New Orleans Police Department to report that their vehicle was stolen from outside of his residence on the street in uptown New Orleans. The owner informed the officer that he had left a valet key in the glove box. New Orleans Police Department verified the theft and entered the vehicle information into the state and federal crime computers, which automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed in the Toyota.
A short while later, a trooper from Louisiana State Police picked up the silent LoJack homing signals from the stolen Toyota on the Police Tracking Computer installed in his patrol vehicle. Following the directional and audible cues from the LoJack computers, the trooper tracked the vehicle as it was being driven around the city. Ultimately, the officer located the vehicle in the driveway of an apartment complex just outside the French Quarter of New Orleans. The car, valued at $13,000, was recovered in excellent condition and returned to the owner. The follow up investigation into the theft is ongoing.
The LoJack Vehicle Recovery System was installed in the Toyota Camry in December of 2006 in Lakeside Toyota of Metairie, Louisiana.