LoJack Helps Chicago Air & Ground Units Recover Stolen Honda Civic, Bust Chop Shop, One Arrested
- July 16, 2013
In the early morning hours of February 12, 2013, the owners of a Honda Civic contacted the Forest View Police Department to report their vehicle had been stolen. The police verified the vehicle as stolen and entered it into LEADS/NCIC state and federal crime computers, which automatically activated the LoJack transponder hidden within the stolen vehicle.
A short while later, a traffic car assigned to the Chicago Police Department’s 004th District on the far South East side of Chicago began receiving the Honda’s silent LoJack homing signals on their LoJack Police Tracking Computer (PTCs). Shortly thereafter, a Chicago Police Department helicopter picked up the same LoJack transponder signals on their LoJack Police Tracking Computer. Following the directional and audible cues from the LoJack computer, the CPD helicopter was able to pinpoint the signal as coming from a garage on the 101st block of Ave M.
Chicago 004th District cars were able to enter the garage and locate what appeared to be an operating chop shop. Within the garage, police found the stolen and what appeared to be two other vehicles completely dismantled.
Chicago Police contacted the Chicago Major Auto Theft Investigation unit (CMATI) who, along with a National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) agent, identified the two dismantled vehicles as recent Chicago thefts. Further investigation revealed parts of four other recently stolen vehicles (air bags, steering columns, engines, etc.). One suspect was arrested on the scene and CMATI Detectives investigating the incident stated that more arrests were sure to follow. This investigation continues.
The owner of the Honda equipped with LoJack recovered his vehicle with little damage – the other owners weren’t as lucky. A CMATI Detective on the scene stated “they might have got away with this for a while but they stole the wrong car this time. LoJack nailed them!”
The LoJack Vehicle Recovery System was installed in the Honda Civic in Elmhurst, Illinois as a direct sale.