Air search recovers stolen excavator

An enterprising Canadian demolition contractor took to the air to track down one his company’s 27 tonne Hitachi 230 excavators after it was stolen from a site in Richmond, Ontario.

A suspect machine was seen being transported on a low-loader trailer in the area, prompting the owner of Assertive Excavation and Demolition, Mike Holloway, to take his own action when the Richmond Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) failed to track the stolen machine down.

In a Canwest News Service release, Mike was reported as saying: "You can cover a lot of ground from the air. These brught orange machines aren't easy to hide." He eventually saw a machine that looked right on a site and the serial number was later verified on the ground. It was reoovered by Assertive employees with the approval of the RCMP.