What just happened? Once again, Apple’s tracking technology has been used to locate a suspected criminal accused of stealing thousands of dollars worth of goods. On this occasion, it was an Apple Watch, rather than AirTags, that was used to find the alleged thief – a shop worker at a South Florida airport.
After her flight had been canceled, college student Paola Garcia panicked when her pink hard-shell roller suitcase didn’t show up at the baggage carousel at Terminal 4 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
Garcia said she always takes her suitcase on flights, but this time Spirit Airlines told her she had to check it. Her panic is understandable: the case contained an Apple MacBook, an iPad, an Apple Watch, jewelry, and high-end women’s clothing, worth more than $5,000 in total.
“In my mind, I’m thinking I need my computer because I go to the university, I need my computer no matter what,” Garcia told Local 10 News. “I was waiting there at least two hours.”
Spirit Airlines employees told Garcia not to worry, and that her lost luggage would be recovered and sent to her house. She left her home address with staff, but noticed the next morning that Apple’s Find My feature was showing the Apple Watch at an address about six miles north of the airport.
Garcia traveled to the house because she needed her MacBook for a test that day. When she arrived, she found luggage scattered outside, so she took videos and photos of the scene.
Garcia informed the Broward Sheriff’s Office. A detective found that the address belonged to Junior Geneus Bazile, who worked for Paradies Lagardère, a company that operates retail stores inside FLL.
Bazile was working at the airport on the day Garcia’s bag went missing. Surveillance footage shows that Bazile entered a storage room on that day with a roller bag that matched Garcia’s. He is then seen searching through the bag and taking out the MacBook and other items, states the affidavit. He placed smaller items in a black bag, while the laptop and pink roller were put in clear plastic bags.
Bazile was charged with grand theft. He pleaded not guilty. Paradies Lagardère said that it has now terminated his employment.
Gracia said her stolen items have not yet been recovered. Spirit said in a statement that even though it was not aware of any evidence that an airline employee was involved in the theft, it had issued a “reimbursement check to the guest as a courtesy on May 20.”
Earlier this month, a carpenter used Apple’s AirTags to find not only his stolen tools but also around 15,000 others worth millions of dollars.
