WESTWOOD, MA – A LoJack-equipped Sterling dump truck was instrumental in helping the Multi-Agency Auto Theft Task Force of Palm Beach County, Fla., uncover a chop shop that specialized in the dismantling of dump trucks. Four dump trucks, a cargo container, and a trailer were recovered with an estimated value of $200,000. One suspect has been arrested. On May 21, an employee of a dump truck company discovered that its storage yard had been burglarized and a 2001 Sterling dump truck had been stolen. The theft was reported to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. Once the report was entered into the law enforcement stolen vehicle database, the LoJack Unit in the dump truck was automatically activated. Ten minutes after the LoJack unit was activated, a Delray Beach Police officer began to receive the silent LoJack signal on the LoJack Police tracking computer in his police vehicle. Minutes later, the officer tracked the signal and located the dump truck parked in front of storage yard.

Knowing that dump truck thefts are a major problem in Florida, the officer requested that the Multi-Agency Auto Theft Task Force of Palm Beach County respond to the scene. Within an hour, the task force had arrived on the scene, created an operational plan, and set up surveillance on the location. The next day, more than a dozen officers executed a search warrant on the storage yard, discovered the chop shop, recovered the stolen assets, and arrested a suspect.