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LoJack® System Helps Chicago Police Department Recover Stolen Ford Econoline Van

  • August 19, 2014
  • recovery stories
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The owner of a Ford Econoline Van contacted the Chicago Police Department to report that their vehicle was stolen from the 4400 block of South Archer Avenue in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood. The victim reported to the police that he was a contractor and the van stolen was a work van with a trailer attached. He further related that the back of the van was equipped with a locked cage section had power tools while the trailer was loaded with wood and other miscellaneous items.

 A short while later patrol officers and the Aviation Unit from the Chicago Police Department (CPD) picked up the silent LoJack® homing signals from the stolen Ford with the LoJack® Police Tracking Computers (PTC) that are installed in patrol vehicles and the helicopter.  Following the directional and audible cues from the PTC, the CPD patrol officer and Aviation Unit pilot tracked the vehicle to the 2700 block of west 38th place in the alley.

The Ford Econoline Van along with the stolen trailer was recovered in the alley near an open garage where three men had been observed minutes before the police arrived. The Ford had the ignition tumbler pulled from the steering column in order to steal it. The trailer had been broken into but the cargo section of the Ford Econoline had not been forced open and all the power tools worth thousands of dollars were recovered. Also recovered was a case of grain alcohol that the victim had had in his truck minus three bottles. Police on scene surmised the reason the locks on the van hadn’t been forced was the thieves had discovered the case of alcohol, and had then been sidetracked from their primary goal.  Police acting on the description given to them by a concerned citizen on scene were able to identify one offender and the investigation into this incident continues. The Ford Econoline Van was recovered before it could be stripped, or further damaged. Furthermore, thanks to the LoJack stolen vehicle recovery system installed on the Ford Econoline Van all the power tools were recovered and returned to a grateful owner.

The LoJack®System was installed in the Ford Econoline in December,1999 at Quirk Ford in Quincy, MA.


Printed from the LoJack Recovery Story Library.

LoJack® unit activation is contingent upon the vehicle being located within LoJack’s coverage area that spans counties across 29 states throughout the U.S. and District of Columbia. You may find LoJack’s coverage areas at www.lojack.com/coverage or by calling 1-800-4-LoJack.

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