LoJack® System Helps Law Enforcement Recover Stolen Mercedes Benz S430
- February 23, 2016
- recovery stories
The owner of a 2001 Mercedes Benz S430 4-door sedan discovered their car missing. They contacted the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office to report their vehicle stolen. The owner advised the responding deputy that their Mercedes was parked in front of his home and that he had left the keys in the glove compartment of another Mercedes also parked in front of his home. The responding deputy prepared a stolen vehicle report, theft affidavit and had the vehicle’s information entered into the state and federal crime information computers.
Later that morning, while on routine patrol, a Palm Beach County SO deputy picked up the silent LoJack signal from the stolen S430 on their on-board LoJack Police Tracking Computer (PTC). The deputy began tracking the stolen S430 by following the directional and audible cues on the PTC screen. The deputy, along with their backup, located the S430 parked in the 22300 block of S.W. 66th Avenue. From a covert location, the deputy observed one subject vacuuming the interior of the S430, while another stood on the passenger side. Shortly thereafter, the subjects entered the S430 and drove away. The deputy advised the responding units that the S430 was on the move. They performed a “Felony Stop” on the S430 apprehending both suspects. The suspects were interviewed at the scene resulting in one being arrested for burglary to a conveyance and Grand Theft Auto. The other suspect was detained and released as the deputies believed that he had nothing to do with the theft and was an “innocent” bystander. The 2001 Mercedes Benz S430 was recovered, released to the owner, who responded to the scene, and removed from state and federal crime information computer systems.
The LoJack® System was installed in the 2001 Mercedes Benz S430 in October 2003 at ASC Mercedes-Benz Alexandria in Virginia.