GPS Leads To Recovery Of $100,000 In Stolen Appliances
CHICAGO RIDGE, Ill. (CBS) - A truckload full of appliances, some perhaps even destined to be Christmas presents, disappeared in Chicago. Crooks took the loot, worth more than $100,000.
CBS 2's Roseanne Tellez reports how a little detective work paid off for the owners of a local trucking company.
Nearly 130 appliances -- including washers, dryers and dishwashers -- were relocated Tuesday, after being stolen from a Chicago Ridge trucking yard Monday night.
Apparently, the thieves didn't realize the container they were in, had GPS; which led the victims right to Logan's Auto Rebuilders on the 6600 block of south State Street.
"We couldn't find the box, but we looked in this current location. We looked through the fence and everything was in there. All the product was right behind the fence," said Thayer Ayyad, a trucking company manager.
They called police before making their move, and then recovering the more than $100,000 worth of stolen appliances.
"After the police got inside, they found the two people that were responsible for this yard, and they ended up taking them into custody," said Ayyad.
Asked if he was feeling good about his detective work, Tomasz Wojdyla, another manager, said, "I'm feeling very well, feeling very good about it."
The two managers are responsible for getting the load to a train, and on to a Sears store in Washington state. They'll sleep easier now, knowing it's on its way to the customer.
Ayyad is relieved.
"Yeah, absolutely. We got our product back so we're very happy," he said.
No charges have yet been made in this case, but Chicago police confirm they're questioning two people of interest.
And thieves beware: GPS is regularly used now on those freight containers we see being pulled by trucks and trains. It's an investment that can really pay off.
