Apple Crime Log: A Tale of Two Mobiles, a Loft-Dwelling Thief, and More
Toggle Dark Mode
It’s time once again to dive into the Apple Crime Log, where we track current Apple-related thievery and scammery. This time around, Mobile iPhone thefts (you’ll pronounce that differently in a moment), a TikTok user shares how he found his stolen MacBook, and much more.
Two arrested for iPhone thefts in Alabama
Several Mobile phones have been stolen. Or, to put that another way, several iPhones have been stolen in Mobile, Alabama (you hear “mobile” differently in your head now, don’t you?).
The Mobile Police Department says officers were called to the Mobile Infirmary Medical Center on Friday, Feb. 20, at around 4:30 p.m. for a theft call, reports WKRG.
The complainant told officers that someone they knew had gone into the data center of the business and stolen 32 iPhone 16 devices.
When a detective responded to the location, the phone was pinged and two people were arrested.
Lakisha Hallum-Rogers, 45, was charged with first-degree receiving stolen property, while 19-year-old Jermani Rogers was charged with first-degree property theft.
TikTok User Tells How He Found His Stolen MacBook
In early February, Matt Swartzen of Cleveland, Ohio, posted a TikTok video telling the tale of how he tracked and recovered his MacBook and AirPods using Apple’s Find My app after they were stolen from his vehicle.
In the video, Swartzen relates how he followed the tracking app to a mobile repair shop, where he was informed that someone had tried to sell them a MacBook, but had failed because “he didn’t have the code.”
Swartzen then tracked his AirPods’ signal to a location where he found them in their case with some medicine and other items that had been lifted with the Apple products, all of which had been dumped on the ground. When he again tried to track the MacBook, he found it hidden nearby in some tall grass, mostly undamaged.
AirTag on a Keychain Leads Police to Stolen Car
Police in Cape Coral, Florida, announced they’d recovered a vehicle stolen from a gas station, thanks to the AirTag that was attached to the stolen car’s keychain.
According to the report, a black Jeep Wrangler was stolen from a Mobil (not Mobile) Gas Station on March 2. Police then tracked the signal to a residence, at which point multiple security videos from neighbors showed a man parking the stolen jeep, lifting a garbage can lid, and entering his home. Video from the gas station showed a similarly dressed male approach from a nearby area, enter the victim’s Jeep, and drive away.
The AirTag and car keys were discovered, “concealed inside storage bins with Christmas decorations in the garage.” The accused thief, identified as Daniel Patrick Sullivan, was arrested after he exited the residence with a dog and was found wearing beige pants and shoes consistent with those seen in the theft video.
He was charged with the following:
- Burglary of an Unoccupied Conveyance (F.S. 810.02(4)) – Third Degree Felony
- Grand Theft Motor Vehicle (F.S. 812.014(2)(c)6) – Third Degree Felony
- Petit Theft $100 or More but Less Than $750 (F.S. 812.014(2)(f)) – First Degree Misdemeanor
AirPods Thief Caught on Camera
47-year-old Antony Allen broke into a home in Ashford, Kent, in the UK and stole multiple items, including cash, jewelry, bank cards, handbags, and a pair of AirPods, reports SWNS.
After the residents returned home to find their home ransacked, officers used the AirPods’ tracking signal to track the thief, who was found at a nearby address, where they discovered Allen hiding in the loft.
The accused thief admitted to his guilt and was sentenced to two and a half years in prison.
Gold Chain Thief Was Member of Brazil’s ‘Tropa do iPhone 17 Pro Max’ Gang
While this last one is only peripherally related, it makes for a nice finish to this week’s crime log. A Brazilian man arrested after he was caught in the act of snatching a gold chain from a victim, during the dispersal of a street carnival in downtown Rio de Janeiro, was also discovered to be a member of a notorious iPhone theft ring.
Brazilian news outlet Mixvale reports the suspect was discovered to be a member of a criminal syndicate known as “Tropa do iPhone 17 Pro Max” (the “iPhone 17 Pro Max crew”). The report says the gang “specializes in high-volume thefts of mobile devices and personal valuables in crowded areas.”
The unnamed thief, who police say “resisted arrest violently,” was charged with robbery and resisting arrest.
