Stolen Maserati Gran Turismo Recovered by Police 3,000 Miles Away
- March 2, 2012
On February 24, 2012, an automotive dealership in Alexandria, Virginia discovered that one of their customers paid for a 2008 Maserati Gran Turismo with a fraudulent check and identification. Unfortunately, the dealership didn’t realize the fraudulent activity until after the vehicle was transported to California at the request of the “customer.” They reported this incident to the police.
An officer responded to the scene. After conducting a preliminary investigation and obtaining all the vehicle’s information, they completed a vehicle theft report. All the vehicle information was then entered into the Virginia Crime Information Network. This routine police action automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed in the vehicle.
Within a short period of time of the LoJack activation, deputies with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Cerritos Station in California received the silent LoJack homing signal with the Police Tracking Computers installed in their patrol vehicles. The directional and audible signal of LoJack took deputies to 11700 Block 166th Street in Cerritos, CA where they located the stolen vehicle in a tow yard.
The vehicle was located more than 3,000 miles away from the point of sale. At the time of recovery, the vehicle was parked and unoccupied. The vehicle was recovered within 12 hours of the LoJack activation.
Note: Portions of this story were obtained from Alexandria Police Department and LASD Cerritos Sheriff’s Department