my vehicle was stolen
10-22-07, 07:18 PM
#1
Lexus Champion
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my vehicle was stolen
remember this thread from awhile back: step 1: Always know where my 2IS is located let's reference.
late late friday night my car was stolen. not the lexus but the vw (pictured in my signature below)...it's my second car.
the thief was caught and arrested about 36 hours later and i have recovered my car, no damage.
so i can't give a lot of details until the insurance claim is closed and the police departments have done their deal but i can tell you about how i went about trying to find my car. and i mostly had to try to find it myself, at first the police were of little help.
i left a cellphone in the vw per the instructions in the link. as soon as i was notified the car was missing, i got a fix on the car (cellphone) and i got in my lexus and raced to the last known location. i cannot tell you how fast i was driving, we don't even want to go there. but it was too late. the car was not there any longer and i could no longer get a fix on the car (cellphone).
today i picked up the car from the impound lot and the cellphone is gone. lesson learned, i pretty sure the thief shut-off the phone. today, people know they can be tracked using cellphones so when a thief gets in your car and checks the glovebox and find a phone, they'll probably discard it. plus i had the phone locked down pretty good (you couldn't place a call unless you enter a code and no incoming calls allowed, only outgoing). i'm pretty sure he discarded the phone. which sucks for me because i could no longer track my car using the phone.
if i had hidden the phone in the car, i would have been on him within hours. over the past year it has worked flawlessly, even when i am mobile in my own car, i can find the phone/car anywhere in the city within feet/yards. i had done it quite often.
but instead i spent nearly 36 hours on the street with only a few hours of sleeps trying to track down this car. we talked to everyone we knew on the street, in the bars, we talked to beat cops....everybody. we went to his home and his workplace and we talked to his relatives and friends. we offered money for info and i put the word on the street $500 cash reward if you show me where the car is tonight. we knew who stole the car, we were told by witnesses who told the police in the city it was stolen from. we were told his name. the thief drove to another city (that city i am now familiar with all the major roads, streets, alleys, and dark corners...bars, clubs, convenience stores, mcdonalds, etc). we put the pressure on him, kept him on the move, i drove around about 200 miles in that city, since the car is easily recognized, very few in the city, red convertible with personalized license plates...keep him moving somebody will see him. this cop that hangs out at a corner store told us he saw the thief drive by three hours ago with the top down...for sure. at that time, the car was not listed as stolen (long story how we had to make some phone calls to get the car listed statewide).
anyway, i haven't read the police report yet but apparently the thief was taken into custody while in the stolen car and the car was impounded just hours after we took our second break. i believe within the first 48 hours, you have to get out and find your own car else the chances of recovery are slim. we got lucky. the car was recovered with no damage, yes there were several things missing from the car but the escort x50 was still in the windshield lol.
so i learned my lesson on the cellphone. gotta hide it out of sight which i do in my own car (lexus) but not in the vw because it doubled as an emergency use cellphone for the driver. now i'll make sure both cars have hidden cellphones. i have faith in the setup because i was able to arrive at the scene within minutes having no prior knowledge, only i arrived too late.
i should add that at no time did we wish to or attempt to apprehend the thief or stop or capture him. we had heard he was armed with a shotgun. if we were to spot the vehicle, we intended to call the police. at one point, an informant called and said he knew where the vehicle was parked and as we proceeded to the point, we called police to meet us. of course they refused and said call back if you see the car (as in they weren't going to rush to some place for nothing). car was not there.
that's ok, we flagged down enough squad cars and talked to enough police over the last day or so they all pretty much knew we would out pounding the streets and they were keeping their eyes open as well. overall, the police cooperated and i'm satisfied since they made the capture on their own.
so that's my story, sorry i cannot share more because it's a criminal matter (the thief is currently in jail i'm told), but we've learned our lesson in so many ways. it's my first car theft and it's a real eye opener for me. tonight, it's so anti-climactic.
late late friday night my car was stolen. not the lexus but the vw (pictured in my signature below)...it's my second car.
the thief was caught and arrested about 36 hours later and i have recovered my car, no damage.
so i can't give a lot of details until the insurance claim is closed and the police departments have done their deal but i can tell you about how i went about trying to find my car. and i mostly had to try to find it myself, at first the police were of little help.
i left a cellphone in the vw per the instructions in the link. as soon as i was notified the car was missing, i got a fix on the car (cellphone) and i got in my lexus and raced to the last known location. i cannot tell you how fast i was driving, we don't even want to go there. but it was too late. the car was not there any longer and i could no longer get a fix on the car (cellphone).
today i picked up the car from the impound lot and the cellphone is gone. lesson learned, i pretty sure the thief shut-off the phone. today, people know they can be tracked using cellphones so when a thief gets in your car and checks the glovebox and find a phone, they'll probably discard it. plus i had the phone locked down pretty good (you couldn't place a call unless you enter a code and no incoming calls allowed, only outgoing). i'm pretty sure he discarded the phone. which sucks for me because i could no longer track my car using the phone.
if i had hidden the phone in the car, i would have been on him within hours. over the past year it has worked flawlessly, even when i am mobile in my own car, i can find the phone/car anywhere in the city within feet/yards. i had done it quite often.
but instead i spent nearly 36 hours on the street with only a few hours of sleeps trying to track down this car. we talked to everyone we knew on the street, in the bars, we talked to beat cops....everybody. we went to his home and his workplace and we talked to his relatives and friends. we offered money for info and i put the word on the street $500 cash reward if you show me where the car is tonight. we knew who stole the car, we were told by witnesses who told the police in the city it was stolen from. we were told his name. the thief drove to another city (that city i am now familiar with all the major roads, streets, alleys, and dark corners...bars, clubs, convenience stores, mcdonalds, etc). we put the pressure on him, kept him on the move, i drove around about 200 miles in that city, since the car is easily recognized, very few in the city, red convertible with personalized license plates...keep him moving somebody will see him. this cop that hangs out at a corner store told us he saw the thief drive by three hours ago with the top down...for sure. at that time, the car was not listed as stolen (long story how we had to make some phone calls to get the car listed statewide).
anyway, i haven't read the police report yet but apparently the thief was taken into custody while in the stolen car and the car was impounded just hours after we took our second break. i believe within the first 48 hours, you have to get out and find your own car else the chances of recovery are slim. we got lucky. the car was recovered with no damage, yes there were several things missing from the car but the escort x50 was still in the windshield lol.
so i learned my lesson on the cellphone. gotta hide it out of sight which i do in my own car (lexus) but not in the vw because it doubled as an emergency use cellphone for the driver. now i'll make sure both cars have hidden cellphones. i have faith in the setup because i was able to arrive at the scene within minutes having no prior knowledge, only i arrived too late.
i should add that at no time did we wish to or attempt to apprehend the thief or stop or capture him. we had heard he was armed with a shotgun. if we were to spot the vehicle, we intended to call the police. at one point, an informant called and said he knew where the vehicle was parked and as we proceeded to the point, we called police to meet us. of course they refused and said call back if you see the car (as in they weren't going to rush to some place for nothing). car was not there.
that's ok, we flagged down enough squad cars and talked to enough police over the last day or so they all pretty much knew we would out pounding the streets and they were keeping their eyes open as well. overall, the police cooperated and i'm satisfied since they made the capture on their own.
so that's my story, sorry i cannot share more because it's a criminal matter (the thief is currently in jail i'm told), but we've learned our lesson in so many ways. it's my first car theft and it's a real eye opener for me. tonight, it's so anti-climactic.
10-22-07, 07:35 PM
#4
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Wow Ken, very interesting story. Glad you got your VW back!
10-22-07, 07:43 PM
#5
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congrats u got it bak
i wasnt as lucky...My first car an infiniti q45...that had a lot of sentimental value was stolen..and it was never recovered...and i can bet my LIFE that the police didn't even look for it.
It is ashame...
i wasnt as lucky...My first car an infiniti q45...that had a lot of sentimental value was stolen..and it was never recovered...and i can bet my LIFE that the police didn't even look for it.
It is ashame...
10-22-07, 07:45 PM
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i think its a pretty dumb move on ur part to try and find the guy who stole ur car... because wut if u did find him? wut would u do... u never kno if the guy is armed or not i mean he did steal ur car no one in my mind would go steal a car witout some kind of weapon. i mean i would choose my safety over a car. but im glad u got the car back and ur safe :P
10-22-07, 07:58 PM
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Reread the first post. He stated that he knew the thief was potentially armed and that he did not plan a confrontation. Only to locate the location of the car and then call the police.
Congratulations on your pursuit to not just sit on your butt when you had the opportunity to help your own situation.
If the car is missing for a certain amount of time, insurance considers it a total and reimburses you the value of your car and contents. (30 days?)
Congratulations on your pursuit to not just sit on your butt when you had the opportunity to help your own situation.
If the car is missing for a certain amount of time, insurance considers it a total and reimburses you the value of your car and contents. (30 days?)
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10-22-07, 08:05 PM
#9
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So do you have to keep this cellphone charged and on at all times while you arent in the car?
IS there a way to use the factory navigation system to locate the car since it has built in GPS (Talking about a Lexus) Kind of like a lo jack system
Anyway, glad you got your car back and way to be persistent. You story sounds like an episode of DOG the bounty hunter
IS there a way to use the factory navigation system to locate the car since it has built in GPS (Talking about a Lexus) Kind of like a lo jack system
Anyway, glad you got your car back and way to be persistent. You story sounds like an episode of DOG the bounty hunter
10-22-07, 08:16 PM
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Glad you got your car back and no one was injured. However, was it worth it to go looking for the car? I know you said you would not confront the thief, but what if he spotted you? IMO, its not worth the time, effort, and risk. If the cops didn't find it, you have insurance.
Also, how did the thief steal the car?
Also, how did the thief steal the car?
10-22-07, 08:25 PM
#12
How do you track your cellphone in your car? Did you have to ask your cellular carrier for this information? This would be a great tip for us all in case we experience the same situation, which I hope neither of us will. Glad to hear that you and your car are both safe.
