LoJack® System Helps Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Recover Stolen Volkswagen Jetta
- February 20, 2015
- recovery stories
The owners of a 2005 Volkswagen Jetta contacted the Los Angeles Police Department to report their vehicle was stolen from their residence.
The LAPD Rampart verified the theft and entered the vehicle information into the state and federal crime computers which automatically activated the LoJack® System concealed in the Volkswagen.
A short while later a LASD airship picked up the silent LoJack signal from the stolen Volkswagen with the LoJack Police Tracking Computers (PTC) that are installed in patrol vehicles and aircraft. Following the directional and audible cues from the PTC, the LASD airship tracked the Volkswagen to the area of 92nd and Firth Avenue, Los Angeles. The LASD airship requested the assistance of LASD patrol officers. When the patrol officers arrived in the area the airship located the possible stolen Volkswagen to the rear of a church property. The airship also saw a male subject near the Volkswagen. Patrol deputies walked to the rear of the church and found a male subject installing a radio inside a Lincoln. They also found the stolen Volkswagen parked next to the Lincoln. The deputies contacted the subject and he told them he believed the Volkswagen belonged to a female staying at the church. When the deputies checked the Volkswagen they found the stereo, speakers, and rear seats had been removed. The subject denied removing parts from the Volkswagen. As the deputies were conducting their investigation they were contacted by an elderly female, who identified herself as the mother of the detained subject. The female lived in a residence to the rear of the church. The subject’s mother was upset with her son and brought a deputy into her residence. While inside the residence the deputy saw what appeared to be the missing rear seats from the Volkswagen. Also, in the room were speakers, other car radios, electronics, and a loaded shotgun. They were in a room which the elderly female identified as her son’s room.
The deputies contacted the victim of the stolen Volkswagen and had him respond to their location to identify property removed from his vehicle. The victim identified his seats, radio and other parts to his Volkswagen. The detained subject was arrested for the theft of the Volkswagen, operating a chop shop and possession of a firearm while under a restraining order.
The LoJack® System was installed in the Volkswagen Jetta in July 2008 at Jaguar Land Rover in Mission Viejo, California.