Toyota Camry Stolen by Good Samaritan Fixing Tire — Sacramento Officers Quickly Recover Vehicle
- August 16, 2012
- recovery stories
On July 18, 2012, the owner of a 2006 Toyota Camry suffered a flat tire and pulled into a convenience store parking lot. As she attempted to fix the tire, a Good Samaritan came up and offered to help. As he changed the tire, the victim went inside to buy him a cool drink for his efforts. When the victim came back out, the Samaritan had finished changing the tire and fled in her vehicle. The victim immediately called the California Highway Patrol and reported the theft.
CHP officers verified the theft and had the vehicle’s information entered into the state and federal crime computers, which automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed in the Toyota.
A short while later, officers with the Sacramento County Auto Theft Task Force began to receive the silent LoJack signal emitting from the stolen Toyota on the Police Tracking Computer installed in their police vehicles. Following the audible and signal strength cues on the LoJack computers, the officers tracked the Camry to the intersection of Howe & Commercial, near Sac State College. There, the officers observed the parked and abandoned vehicle. They conducted surveillance on the vehicle for some time, but when no one returned for it, they recovered the vehicle. The Camry was impounded to be processed for latent prints and was then released to the owner.
The flat tire was found in the back seat.
The LoJack Vehicle Recovery System was installed in the Toyota Camry in September of 2005 at Toyota of Santa Monica.