LoJack® System Helps Fresno HEAT ATTF Recover Stolen Toyota Rav4
- June 10, 2015
- recovery stories
The owners of a 2014 Toyota Rav4 contacted the Fresno Police Department to report that their vehicle was stolen during the night. The Fresno PD verified the theft and entered the vehicle information into the state and federal crime computers which automatically activated the LoJack® System concealed in the Toyota.
Less than one hour after the police entered the Toyota as stolen, an investigator from Fresno HEAT, the Fresno County Auto Theft Task Force, picked up the silent LoJack signal from the stolen Toyota with the LoJack Police Tracking Computer (PTC) that are installed in patrol vehicles and aircraft. Following the directional and audible cues from the PTC, the investigator tracked the Toyota to the vicinity of First and Shields avenues in central Fresno. The Toyota was found unoccupied in the parking lot of a shopping center. Investigators conducted a surveillance of the Toyota and after about 90 minutes, an adult male approached and entered the vehicle. Investigators converged on the Toyota and took the suspect into custody without incident. The suspect, a known auto thief with numerous prior arrests, was once again booked into the Fresno County Jail for vehicle theft and possession of stolen property.
The Toyota was recovered intact and undamaged; it was released to the owner at the scene.
The LoJack® System was installed in the Toyota in August of 2014 at Madera Chevrolet/Oldsmobile/Toyota in Madera, California.