LoJack Signal Leads Police to Stolen Car at Pasadena Hotel; Suspect Jailed

Police followed a vehicle anti-theft system signal to a parking structure of a Marriott hotel in Pasadena on Friday, where they found the alleged car thief sitting in the driver’s seat, authorities said.

The arrest took place about 11 a.m. after officers detected a signal sent from a LoJack system indicating a car recently stolen in Glendale was in the area of the Courtyard by Marriott Los Angeles, 180 N. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena police Lt. Anthony Burgess said.

Officers tracked the weak signal, ultimately narrowing it to a multi-story parking structure behind the hotel, he said.

They spotted the stolen car parked inside the structure, with a man later identified as 21-year-old Marco Antonio Sanchez of Baldwin Park, sitting in the driver’s seat, according to police and Los Angeles County booking records. Sanchez was taken into custody without a struggle.

Continued investigation led officers to find Sanchez’s girlfriend inside a room at the hotel, according to Burgess. Police arrested her after discovering she was wanted on an outstanding felony warrant.

A 5-year-old child who was also in the hotel room was placed into the custody of the L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services, Burgess said.

According to L.A. County Superior Court records, Sanchez was previously convicted of burglary in 2018 and had another burglary charge pending against him at the time of his arrest on Friday.

Bail for Sanchez was initially set at $60,000 pending his initial court appearance, records show.