LoJack Helps Manchester Police Recover Stolen Toyota Celica
- February 5, 2013
When it comes to vehicle theft, we suggest several layers of protection as theft prevention products are just one important step. Case in point, on the morning of 01/02/2013, the owner of a 1994 Toyota Celica left his home to head for work. When the owner got to where he had parked his Celica the night before, he discovered that it had vanished. After a quick check of the area without any success, he immediately called the Lowell Police Department to report that his vehicle was apparently stolen sometime during the overnight hours.
The Lowell Police Department verified the theft and entered the vehicle information into the state and federal crime computers, which automatically activated the LoJack Stolen Vehicle Recovery System concealed in the 1994 Honda Celica.
A short time later, officers with the Manchester, NH. Police Department quickly located the vehicle parked on the street. As they approached the vehicle, they found a local resident sitting in the car with the engine running and the key still in the ignition. As they were removing the suspect from the stolen vehicle, the officers were amazed to see that the vehicle’s steering wheel was sitting on the back seat with an “wheel lock” anti-theft device still attached and locked onto it.
The Officers placed the suspect under arrest for assorted charges and had the vehicle towed from the scene of recovery, for safekeeping and pending notification of the owner by the Lowell Police Department. This stolen vehicle was recovered within four hours of activation.
The LoJack Vehicle Recovery System was installed in the 1994 Toyota Celica on 11/30/1993 at Toyota of Watertown.
Here’s some practical advice to protect your vehicle from theft:
“The first important step: Use Common Sense Measures. Never leave keys in the vehicle with the engine running. Don’t hide a spare key in the vehicle. Close all windows and lock all doors when leaving your vehicle. Park in a well-lit area and, when at home, keep your vehicle in the garage. Don’t leave valuables visible in your car, particularly those items that include information on your identity. Don’t program your home address in your GPS system under “home” as it could lead thieves right to your house, where they could potentially enter it through a garage door opener in the car. Instead, program your home address under a general destination.
“The second step: Use Theft Prevention Products. A thief may be less inclined to steal your car if it has visible and audible warning devices like a wheel lock or alarm system. Immobilizers-which include smart keys, kill switches and fuel cut-off devices-can offer another means of protection. While the professionals can often disable these devices, they do offer another means of deterrence.
“The third step: Use a Tracking and Recovery System. Since thieves can disarm theft prevention devices and factory installed telematics systems, recovery systems provide the peace of mind that you’ll get your car back – often quickly – in the event it is stolen. Effective systems are directly integrated with and used by law enforcement, use Radio Frequency technology, which has proven to be optimal for recovering stolen vehicles, and are covert so they cannot be disengaged.