San Bernardino, California Police Recover Stolen Honda Civic Assisted by the LoJack® System in Six Minutes

  • July 13, 2013

Thieves will often make changes to a stolen car, truck, van or motorcycle to avoid apprehension. They can switch license plates, remove or change the VIN (vehicle identification number), and even attempt to paint the vehicle. These methods don’t fool the LoJack® system. Because the tracking device is concealed INSIDE the vehicle, it still gives off a homing signal to local law enforcement despite any changes made to its appearance. This case involves a Honda Civic recovered in only six minutes after activation, where the suspect had already started to paint it.

On June 28th, 2013, the owners of a Honda Civic contacted Colton, CA Police to report their vehicle had been stolen. Colton PD verified the theft and entered the vehicle information into the state and federal crime computers. The LoJack unit concealed in the vehicle was then automatically activated.

Within minutes of activation, an officer from San Bernardino PD picked up the homing signal from the Civic on the LoJack tracking computer installed in this patrol vehicle. He tracked it to a private residence on Orange St. He found a male spray painting the Honda in the rear yard.  The suspect was taken into custody, and the Civic was soon returned to its relieved owner.