The LoJack® System Helps Ohio Law Enforcement Recover Stolen Mercedes Taken Via Identity Theft
- July 16, 2013
The LoJack® System has been instrumental in helping police track stolen vehicles and arrest those responsible. Sometimes, the suspects are wanted on other charges as well, or may be in possession of other stolen items or illegal substances. The police have even found additional stolen vehicles in the immediate area when tracking a car, truck or motorcycle equipped with a LoJack unit. In this case, the thief was apprehended for identity theft and his victim was a family member.
On April 23rd, 2013, the person whose identity was stolen contacted the Walton Hills, Ohio Police to report the crime. A family member of the victim had gained access to a bank account and had a cashier’s check made out to a Mercedes Benz dealership. The suspect had also taken several forms of identification belonging to the victim. The suspect forged documents and purchased a 2013 Mercedes Benz SL, worth approximately $125,000. Shortly after, the victim attempted to withdraw money from the bank and found the account to have no funds. The victim contacted banking authorities and was advised of the recent transaction.
Walton Hills PD contacted the dealership, verified the theft and entered the vehicle information into the state and federal crime computers, which automatically activated the LoJack device concealed in the Mercedes. The dealership had chosen to pre-install a LoJack unit in the SL when it arrived on the lot, not only for the benefit of the eventual owner, but to protect the dealer in case of theft as well.
A short time later, several law enforcement agencies in the Metro Cleveland area picked up the homing signals from the stolen Mercedes on the LoJack tracking computers installed in their cruisers. A trooper with the Ohio State Highway Patrol tracked the vehicle to a business area of Cleveland, where the SL was located parked and unoccupied. The suspect was later arrested and is being charged with several felony crimes involving this incident. The Mercedes was soon returned to the dealership.