LoJack System Helps Police Discover Major Construction Theft Ring; Nearly $900k in Stolen Equipment Recovered

WESTWOOD, MA - Aug 2, 2007: LoJack Corporation's Stolen Vehicle Recovery System helped Chicago-area police find a major construction theft ring and recover more than 30 pieces of construction equipment/commercial vehicles valued at nearly $900,000. The recovery was made at a chop shop in East Chicago, Indiana, on June 14 after a Chicago Police Department helicopter equipped with a LoJack Police Tracking Computer picked up a signal from a stolen International truck. The chop shop contained a vast array of stolen items, including semi-tractors, mini excavators, skid steers, trailers, compressors, generators, welders and several loads of cargo that were taken from the stolen semi-tractors.

"The discovery of this chop shop demonstrates just how vulnerable construction equipment is to the growing problem of theft, which is estimated to cost construction equipment owners approximately $1 billion annually," said Ronald V. Waters, LoJack's President and Chief Operating Officer. "Inadequate site security, lack of standardized product identification numbers and easy to access cabs all make construction equipment an easy mark for thieves who are often part of organized crime rings. Owners need to step up physical security, keep good records of equipment and use proven recovery systems like LoJack to protect their equipment -- and their businesses -- from the costly problem of theft."

About the Recovery:

This chop shop involved more than 30 pieces of equipment and commercial vehicles that were stolen in the Chicago area and transported to a chop shop in East Chicago, Indiana. Upon tracking down the LoJack-equipped International truck, police departments discovered several other stolen trucks, as well as construction equipment that was in the process of being stripped. The site was declared a "hazmat" zone because so much diesel fuel and other toxic substances had been dumped on the ground without any precautions. To date, one arrest has been made and other persons of interest have been identified.

About LoJack Corporation

LoJack Corporation, the company that invented the stolen vehicle recovery market two decades ago, is the global leader in tracking and recovering valuable mobile assets. The company's time-tested system is optimized for recovering stolen mobile assets through its proven Radio Frequency technology and unique integration with law enforcement agencies in the United States that use LoJack's in-vehicle tracking equipment to recover cars, trucks, commercial vehicles, construction equipment and motorcycles. The company's Stolen Vehicle Recovery System delivers a better than 90 percent success rate and has helped recover more than $4 billion in stolen LoJack-equipped assets worldwide. Today LoJack operates in 26 states and the District of Columbia, and in 29 countries throughout North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia.