California Woman Uses Apple AirTag to Track Down Her Stolen Packages — Here’s How She Did It

Two suspects were arrested on Monday, Aug. 19 after they were found with stolen items from "over a dozen" victims, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office

A California woman decided to take matters into her own hands when she noticed her packages were being stolen on multiple occasions.

The woman sent a package containing an Apple AirTag to her mailbox at the Los Alamos Post Office in Los Alamos, Calif. and was able to catch the suspects stealing her mail with the help of the police, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a press release on Tuesday, Aug. 20.

Deputies responded to the woman’s mail theft report on Monday, Aug. 19 and “learned that the victim had items stolen from her post office box recently, so she mailed herself a package that included an AirTag locator device,” per the release.

As the package containing the $29 tracking device was also stolen, police were able to locate the suspects and arrest them that day. Officers note that the woman did not try to find the suspects herself and instead contacted the police right away.

Related: Traveler Tracks Down Her Missing Luggage — and Finds It at Florida Airport Worker’s Home

The suspects, a 27-year-old woman and 37-year-old man, were found with the victim’s mail and “items believed to be stolen from over a dozen additional victims,” according to the police. They were located and arrested in the 600-block of E. Sunrise Drive in Santa Maria.

In the release, officers praise the victim’s quick thinking and note that the case remains open as they contact the other victims.

“The Sheriff’s Office would like to commend the victim for her proactive solution, while highlighting that she also exercised appropriate caution by contacting law enforcement to safely and successfully apprehend the suspects,” they add.

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In June, a Spirit Airlines passenger experienced a similar situation when she used a signal coming from her Apple Watch to track down her missing luggage that was stolen by an airport employee in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The passenger, Paola Garcia, told Florida’s Local 10 at the time that it all started when she was forced to check her pink hard-shell suitcase before her March 3 flight. However, her luggage never arrived at the carousel when she touched down in Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport’s Terminal 4.

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Despite Garcia’s claims that the airline said her belongings would be sent to her house, she noticed her Apple Watch was sending a signal from a home address in Fort Lauderdale.

She decided to investigate herself and discovered suitcases "everywhere" at the property when she got there. She took a video of the luggage and called 911, leading the Broward Sheriff’s Office to arrest the suspect, Junior Bazile, and charge him with grand theft.

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