OnStar joins police on the hunt for Member’s stolen vehicle

A burglary, a hit-and-run and a car chase. It all started with a shopping trip.

Ryan Heald, a property manager from London, Ontario, returned from the grocery store and parked his Chevrolet Equinox in his spot. He made his way to the kitchen to put his food away and settle in for the night.

The following morning Ryan noticed something — or rather a lack of something. His parking spot was vacant, and his wife doesn’t drive.

The parking lot’s security footage showed two thieves searching for an unlocked vehicle. They found Ryan’s SUV, hopped inside and started filling their pockets. When they seemed to have stolen everything they wanted, the car started up and rolled out of the camera’s view.

Ryan opened up his myChevrolet Mobile App* and was connected to an OnStar Emergency-Certified Advisor*. “They said my car was in-motion.” That’s when the Advisor and Ryan contacted the London Police Department.

With the help of OnStar Stolen Vehicle Assistance,* the police located Ryan’s SUV. They were able to match his vehicle to a description given after a hit-and-run the same morning, which made the apprehension of the vehicle and its reckless drivers infinitely more important.

Ryan was relieved that they located his vehicle and that the OnStar Advisor was keeping him updated while corresponding with the police. He thought it was over, but the thieves had another idea.

At the sight of police, the thieves took off. Before they could turn into a residential area, police gave OnStar the okay to safely bring the vehicle to a stop using OnStar Stolen Vehicle Slowdown.*

As the SUV slowed to a roll, the thief behind the wheel took advantage of the moment and leaped from the vehicle.

“He was caught IMMEDIATELY,” Ryan says, chuckling. It may have taken some time, but he can finally laugh about the ordeal.

Rather than just jump from the vehicle like his friend, the second thief hit the ground running. In the end he wasn’t taken down by officers with handcuffs, but by a highly trained London police K9 unit.

Chasing a vehicle through a residential area can be extremely dangerous, and police avoid it when they can. Even though the thieves were caught, Ryan mentioned that if it wasn’t for OnStar Stolen Vehicle Slowdown, the pursuit may have had a very different ending.

The Advisor remained on the phone with Ryan the entire time, making sure he wasn’t alone. The police filled him in on the thieves’ “shopping spree,” taking full advantage of the cargo space in Ryan’s SUV.

Although this was Ryan’s first emergency with OnStar, he’s extremely familiar with the benefits and uses Turn-by-Turn Navigation* almost every day for his work.

Ryan was glad to share his story. It’s important to know what your vehicle can do for you. In Ryan’s case, his Equinox, paired with an OnStar service plan, was a tool to help capture thieves looking to cause mayhem in London.