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Social Media Manager: Olivia Beaudette
Email: obeaudette@umassd.edu
Police used the tracking technology of Apple products to find a 2023 Ferrari 812 GTS that had been stolen. It was reported stolen from Greenwich, CT, on September 16.
This Ferrari is worth around $575,000.
The owner of the vehicle reported leaving his AirPods in the vehicle. So, police used the “Find My” app on Apple products to track down the AirPods, which led them to where the stolen Ferrari could be found.
Apple’s “Find My” app uses Bluetooth signals to detect Apple devices even when offline. These signals allow devices to send their location to the cloud.
Android devices also have this tracking feature called “Find my Device.”
When the lost item is found, an alert is sent, but it is anonymous and encrypted. Apple claims that these tracking features are so encrypted that it keeps anyone, including the company, from seeing the location of the lost item.
When tracking the AirPods, the police were able to locate the stolen vehicle at a gas station 60 miles away in Waterbury, CT.
When police arrived at the gas station, the suspect fled the scene. However, the suspect left his iPhone behind in the car. Thanks to this mistake, police were able to use the iPhone to determine that 22-year-old Dion Schontten stole the car.
Using text messages and social media posts of the inside of the Ferrari, police were able to accurately connect the phone to Schontten.
Schontten was found ten days after the car was reported stolen when he was arrested for stealing a 2023 Acura TLX from New York. This led him to be charged twice for Larceny of a Motor Vehicle.
Larceny of a Motor Vehicle means the theft of a stolen ”vehicle or a trailer that one knew or had reason to know was stolen.”
Police also arrested 19-year-old Kion Webster. It is reported that he had also driven the stolen Ferrari. Police have also stated that Webster has seven pending charges related to auto theft and other violent crimes.
Webster is also reported to have been involved in the theft of the 2023 Acura.
Both men received bail. Schontten’s bail was started at $300,000 but was later reduced to $150,000. Webster’s bail started at $1,000,000 but was reduced to $300,000.
As of now, both men are still behind bars.
Although the vehicle was found using the tracking system of AirPods, Apple sells AirTags designed to be placed in or on different things to keep track of it. It’s common for people to place AirTags in their cars.
While this technology was incredibly helpful in this situation, there is a risk that these devices will be used as a way for people to stalk other people.
So, while it’s helpful to have these tracking apps, it’s important to be aware of the potential dangers.
These tracking devices are also often used for non-crime-related situations. For example, a man lost his Apple Watch after scuba diving; the owner marked the watch as “lost.” Using the “Find My” app, a man found the watch and mailed it back to the man who originally lost it the year prior.
As technology continues to advance, and companies are beginning to use this new technology it’s going to be harder and harder for people to get away with crimes.
All it took was a pair of AirPods left in a car, which led to the discovery of a stolen car.