Thief Defeats Steering Wheel Lock, But Not LoJack
- November 23, 2011
On Wednesday morning, November 16, 2011, the owner of a 2007 white Ford F-250 pickup truck contacted the Miami Police Department and notified them that someone had stolen their pickup truck sometime during the night. The theft occurred despite the fact that the owner had installed a steering wheel locking device after he parked his vehicle on Tuesday evening. Unfortunately for the thief, but fortunately for the owner, the vehicle also had a LoJack Stolen Vehicle Recovery System installed in it. Just 44 minutes after the pickup truck’s information was entered the vehicle’s information into the state and federal crime computers, a Miami-Dade Police Sergeant began tracking the silent LoJack signal emanating from the stolen truck.
The Sergeant, along with backup, located the pickup truck backed into a parking space in the 200 block of S.W. 15th Lane in Miami. Inside the vehicle, officers observed the steering wheel cut and the steering wheel locking device placed back on the steering wheel — presumably by the thief so that another potential thief would consider an alternative vehicle. After the vehicle was recovered, it was released to the owner, who responded to the scene.
This was the second time that this particular pickup truck was stolen and recovered with the use of the LoJack Stolen Vehicle Recovery System. The first time was in March 2011.