LoJack Corporation Helps Montgomery County Police Recover Multiple Stolen Vehicles Located Inside a Shipping Container Bound for Sea

  • November 16, 2012

If you live on or near the coast, today’s story is a great example of how LoJack can save your vehicle from ending up overseas in a matter of days.

On November 8, 2012, the owner of a 2010 Toyota RAV-4  called the Montgomery County Police Department to report the theft of this vehicle from 11500 Block of Lochwood Drive in the Silver Spring area of Montgomery County, Maryland.

Montgomery County Police Department police verified the theft and entered the vehicle information into the state and federal crime computers, which automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed in the Toyota

A short time later, flight officers from the Baltimore City Police Department Aviation Unit, “Foxtrot”, began to receive the silent LoJack tracking signal on the Police Tracking Computers installed in their helicopter. Following the directional and audible cues from the LoJack computers the detectives tracked the vehicle to a commercial area in the 6500 block of Moravia Park Drive in the east Baltimore area of Maryland.

Detectives from The Regional Auto Theft Team, “RATT” responded and narrowed the signal down to a sea container connected to a tractor parked in the block. Entry into the sea container was made and when detectives opened the doors bed mattresses fell out. Once the mattresses fell out the detectives observed the stolen Toyota RAV-4 in the sea container.

Further investigation found hidden with more mattresses deeper inside the container a stolen 2009 Nissan Altima valued in excess of $14,500.00 and stolen on October 22, 2012 and a stolen 2012 Honda CRV valued in excess of $26,000.00 reported stolen on November 1, 2012. Both of these vehicles had been reported stolen in Washington, DC and neither vehicle was equipped with a LoJack Stolen Vehicle Recovery System.

As a result of the flight officers and detectives tracking the LoJack signal from the stolen Toyota RAV-4 stolen vehicles totaling $60,000.00 were recovered. The investigation has determined that the container was to be taken to New York where it was to be loaded onto a ship and the vehicles exported out of the country.

The LoJack Stolen Vehicle Recovery System was installed in the Toyota RAV-4 at DARCARS Toyota during the month of December, 2009.

NOTE: Portions of this story were obtained from the Montgomery County Police Department and the Baltimore City Aviation Unit “Foxtrot” Regional Auto Theft Team