LoJack® System Helps Johnston County Sheriff’s Office and NCDMV License and Theft Bureau Recover Stolen Cadillac Escalade
- November 19, 2014
- recovery stories
The owners of a 2012 Cadillac Escalade contacted the New York City Police Department to report that their vehicle was stolen. At the time of the filing of the theft report, the vehicle was titled and registered/tagged in the state of Florida.
The police verified the theft and entered the vehicle information into the state and federal crime computers which automatically activated the LoJack® System concealed in the Cadillac.
While traveling near Selma, NC the stolen Cadillac’s LoJack signal was picked up with the LoJack Police Tracking Computers (PTC) that are installed in patrol vehicles and aircraft. Local law enforcement lost contact with the Cadillac due to speed and jurisdictional restrains but was able to alert the Johnston County Sheriff Office and North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicle License & Theft inspectors to the direction of travel. A traffic stop of the Cadillac was made on I-95 at mile post 78.5 southbound.
The driver/suspect’s story about his ownership of the Cadillac was he had purchased the vehicle off the internet and was returning from New York to his home in Florida. Consent to search the vehicle was given. In the glove box of the Cadillac were a New Jersey vehicle title of a 2013 Cadillac, an adhesive label of a replacement vehicle identification number (VIN) matching the title and the VIN and federal decals attached to the Cadillac. A further search showed the true VIN and federal decals of the stolen Cadillac had been covered by fraudulent labels and a fraudulent temporary card board New Jersey registration plate and been attached to the vehicle to show the vehicle year as 2013 and replacement VIN.
The suspect was arrested on two felony charges associated with the stolen vehicle and held under a $100,000 bond. The Cadillac is held for further investigation. This is a typical criminal attempt to “clone”, the use of another vehicle’s information, to cover the true identity of a stolen vehicle.
The LoJack® System was installed in the Cadillac Escalade at Ed Morse Cadillac in Tampa in June 2014.