Apple Watch Sends Police to Sneaky Sleeping Burglar in Backyard Shed

You’ve heard the story – a phone or wallet was stolen, and ‘Find My’ helped them find their missing items. It’s usually an iPhone or, more recently, an AirTag that is the star of the show when it comes to finding these lost items. But not this time.

This time, an Apple Watch led to the recovery of items stolen in a household break-and-enter robbery.

This tale begins in Peterborough, Ontario, where a thief broke into a residence in the dark of night.

Entering through the front door, the criminal made off with property worth $5,000.

Included in this haul was an Apple Watch. This turned out to be advantageous for the owner, a major faux pas for the thief.

Shortly after discovering the burglary and calling the police, the Watch owner activated the Find My app on his iPhone.

The iOS application keeps tabs on all the devices registered to a person’s Apple ID and it quickly picked up the location of the Watch, which surprisingly was still nearby.

Using the rough coordinates, the police began searching for the stolen wearable. By pinging the Watch with the Find My app, the police were able to find not only the stolen Watch, but the suspect who was sleeping in a nearby backyard shed. He still had the Apple Watch in his possession and other items stolen from the residence.

The thief was promptly arrested and charged with breaking-and-entering as well as the possession of stolen goods.