OnStar Helps Locate Missing Chevy Silverado
While some people like to party on New Year’s Eve, others prefer to sneak in one last crime. GM Authority recently shared how one Missouri resident had parked their black Chevy Silverado at a video store the night of Dec. 31 — with a snoozing front-seat passenger and a goat on board. A masked thief then stole it and took it for a joy ride before authorities used OnStar tracking technology to apprehend him.
The carjacking and the recovery
When the thief drove off with the truck, he soon found out he had company. Per GM Authority, the thief held the victim at gunpoint as soon as the man woke up and continuously threatened him while he drove the truck through Kansas, circled back into Missouri, then drove into Oklahoma.
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At some point, the perpetrator paused long enough to let the passenger and goat out of the vehicle. The passenger called the police who were able to use the truck’s OnStar Stolen Vehicle Assistance function to help catch the carjacker. The technology even slowed the vehicle to a 15-mph crawl when it detected that the driver was trying to outspeed the cops. The police then flattened the truck’s tires with stop sticks.
Though the carjacker tried to escape on foot, the authorities caught him soon after, putting an end to his New Year’s Eve shenanigans.
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Photo: Wikimedia Commons
OnStar’s Stolen Vehicle Assistance function
If you’re not familiar with Chevy OnStar technology, it has three specific features that help protect it from carjacking: theft alarm notification, remote ignition block, and stolen vehicle slowdown. Per the automaker, the technology will notify the owner via text, email, and/or phone call when the vehicle’s alarm goes off after the doors lock.
In the event that you file a police report, OnStar will send a remote signal to your vehicle’s engine to prevent it from turning on, to further help slow down the carjacker. As mentioned in the above story, the technology also has a slowdown function which the OnStar advisor assigned to your case can activate to help local authorities seize the vehicle and catch the offender.
Whitney Russell resides in Dayton, though her spirit can be found beach-bumming in Puerto Rico (the land of her half-Puerto Rican heritage). When not crafting car-related content, she can be found chasing after the most amazing toddler in the world, watching her “beaver” of a husband build amazing woodworking projects, hanging out with two crazy dogs, and visiting family and friends. She also enjoys traveling, crafting, and binge-watching period dramas when time allows. See more articles by Whitney.