2004's Top Stolen Vehicle & Equipment Recoveries

WESTWOOD, Mass., Jan. 14, 2005 -- The top stolen vehicle and construction equipment recoveries for 2004 using LoJack's Stolen Vehicle Recovery System underscore two key trends: the continuing rise of vehicle/equipment theft and the fact that it is big business run by professional thieves, according to Joseph F. Abely, chief executive officer, LoJack Corporation . Marking the year with its 75,000 U.S. recovery, LoJack offers highly covert radio frequency-based systems that are used by law enforcement to recover stolen mobile assets and deliver a 90 percent success rate.

"This year's most compelling recoveries involved arresting dangerous felons, uncovering a $3 million construction equipment theft ring, chasing down thieves via helicopters, recovering a vehicle 3000 miles away, and busting a volatile meth lab," said Mr. Abely. "We're proud that our highly effective solution was instrumental in not only these recoveries, but in helping to fight our nation's growing problem of vehicle and construction equipment theft."

  Below are LoJack's top recoveries for 2004:
  * "Most Dangerous Felon" Recovery -- In North Miami, criminals forced a
    woman out of her car at gunpoint and sped off with her vehicle. Police
    tracked the vehicle via air and ground units using LoJack.  After
    taking the police on a chase through several towns and crashing into
    two vehicles, the suspects were captured by police. One was wanted for
    homicide and the other in violation of parole.
  * "Fastest" Recovery -- In this California recovery involving a Honda
    Civic, police tracked down the vehicle and uncovered a chop shop only
    six minutes after the owner filed a stolen vehicle report.
  * "Most Valuable" Recovery -- Thieves stole a generator equipped with
    LoJack from a construction company in Las Vegas, NV.  Police tracked it
    to a complex in Los Angeles, CA, where they discovered a major theft
    ring -- extending from California to Nevada to Missouri -- with
    hundreds of pieces of stolen equipment valued at  $2.5 to $3 million
    dollars!  The recovery underscores the nearly $1 billion annual cost of
    construction equipment/commercial vehicle theft.
  * "Recovery Involving the Best Helicopter Chase" -- In this recovery,
    California police used ground vehicles and three LoJack-equipped
    helicopters to track down and apprehend the thieves of a Corvette who
    were on the run.  Moral of this story is you can run, but you can't
    hide from LoJack!
  * "Longest Distance" Recovery -- A Tampa, FL-based dealership discovered
    one of its Cadillac Escalades equipped with LoJack was stolen from the
    lot. Within minutes of receiving the report, police tracked down the
    vehicle 3,000 miles away to a residence in Los Angeles, CA.
  * "Best Recovery Involving a Drug Bust" -- Police in Las Vegas, NV tracked
    a stolen pick-up truck with LoJack to the front of a mini-warehouse
    complex.  Upon entering, police apprehended five suspects and
    discovered something far more dangerous -- a highly volatile
    methamphetamine lab on the brink of explosion.
  * "Most Dramatic Carjacking" Recovery -- A couple in Charlotte, NC was
    walking their dog when thieves forced them at gunpoint to walk to their
    vehicle, drive to a bank machine and withdraw cash.  Fortunately, one
    of the victims escaped and contacted police, who used LoJack to track
    down the vehicle.  Within 30 minutes, police apprehended the criminals,
    a 9 mm handgun and 11 rounds of ammunition.

The LoJack System is the serious solution to the serious problem of auto theft. It is the only stolen vehicle recovery system that is directly integrated with law enforcement (LoJack's Police Tracking Computers are installed in police vehicles, helicopters and aircraft). The covert LoJack System includes a small wireless radio-frequency transceiver that is hidden in a vehicle in one of 25 possible locations.

Once the vehicle is reported stolen to the police, the vehicle identification number is matched to the LoJack System by state law enforcement computers and the system is activated by police, emitting a silent radio signal from the hidden radio transceiver. Law enforcement vehicles and aircraft follow these signals to track down the vehicle.

The 90 percent recovery rate for vehicles equipped with LoJack has translated over the years into $1.5 billion in recovered assets in the United States. LoJack is available in 22 states in the U.S. and the District of Columbia, and is operational in more than 25 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Western Hemisphere, and presently developing operations in 3 other countries.