Toyota FJ Cruiser Stolen and Recovered Twice Within Eight Days

  • March 23, 2012

On March 6, 2012, a 2010 Toyota FJ Cruiser was stolen and located by police less than two hours after the LoJack system was activated. After the owner reported the stolen vehicle to the police, the vehicle information was entered was entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) computers, which automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed on the car. LAPD Pacific Division officers tracked the signal and observed the vehicle parked unoccupied, and impounded the vehicle, eventually returning it to its owner.

On March 14, 2012, less than a minute after activation, LAPD officers picked up the LoJack signal from the victim’s stolen 2010 Toyota FJ Cruiser again. They observed the vehicle parked in the 800 block of Indiana Street, unoccupied. LAPD Pacific Division detectives were notified and responded to the location where they set up a surveillance of the vehicle. The suspect never returned and the vehicle was released to the owner.

The Detectives’ investigation found that the victim’s home had been burglarized while he and his family were asleep. The suspect took items from inside the home, including the vehicle keys, loaded the vehicle with items from the home and then stole the vehicle. The second theft happened exactly the way the first occurred, only in this instance, the suspect stole the second set of vehicle keys, allowing him to steal the vehicle again.