A couple steals back their car with the help of an AirTag, a TV reporter retrieves her stolen iPhone from an ecoATM, and an entire airline crew’s suspension after an iPhone theft feature in this week’s Apple Crime Blotter.
The latest in an occasional AppleInsider series, looking at the world of Apple-related crime.
Los Angeles looting followed decline of Apple Store thefts
The Apple Tower Theatre in Los Angeles was looted on June 10, amid the protests against ICE raids in the city that have led to the deployment of the National Guard by the president.
As often happens with such thefts, messages appeared on the stolen iPhones warning thieves to return them to the Apple Store.
Alarms blaring on multiple iPhones that were taken from the Apple store in downtown LA
Displays on the devices read
“Please return to Apple Tower Theatre
This device has been disabled and is being tracked. Local authorities will be alerted.” pic.twitter.com/rhMiaRXA9z— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) June 10, 2025
There have been numerous high-profile Apple Store thefts in California over the years, including prolific theft rings in 2018 and 2022, and a viral theft in early 2024 in which a man stealing iPhones from the Emeryville Apple Store near Oakland ran past a parked police car.
However, reports of Apple Store thefts, in California and elsewhere, had appeared to slow to a trickle in the first half of 2025. In late 2024, California voters passed Proposition 36, which stiffened penalties for retail theft, especially when three or more people committed that crime together.
iPhone theft in London leads to chase, capture
After a man stole a woman’s iPhone in East London and fled on an e-bike, the Metropolitan Police chased the man for 14 minutes and ultimately apprehended him.
According to The BBC, “officers used the device’s tracking capabilities to locate and monitor the suspect.”
Couple used AirTag to “steal back” their Jaguar
Elsewhere in London, a couple whose car was stolen used an AirTag to track down and get it back, after police were “too pressed” to help them.
According to The BBC, the Jaguar was stolen on June 3 from Hammersmith, telling them that an AirTag had been left on the car. But after receiving a “vague” response, the couple tracked down and retrieved the car themselves.
The car had an immobilizer code, although when they got the car back, the code didn’t work, requiring a call to a software company.
The usual advice from law enforcement is to avoid the temptation of confronting a thief after tracking them with an AirTag, due to the severe risk to personal safety.
NBC reporter tracks down her stolen iPhone from a kiosk
Ellison Barber, an NBC News reporter, had her iPhone stolen on the New York City subway, and later used her work phone to track the device to an ecoATM machine.
Using Find My iPhone and bringing along a camera crew, Barber tracked the iPhone to an ecoATM kiosk in a check-cashing store, where the thief had presumably returned it for cash. The NYPD was able to successfully retrieve Barber’s phone.
Man wanted for stealing 32 Mac mini devices
The Mac mini is far from the most often-stolen Apple product, but in mid-May, more than $100,000 worth of them were stolen in Memphis.
According to WREG, a man showed up at DHL Express, impersonating the person who was supposed to pick up packages containing 32 Apple Mac mini computers, which were meant for delivery to an IT company.
The man in question remains at large.
Entire flight crew suspended after iPhone theft
An Indonesian airline has suspended an entire flight crew after a passenger’s iPhone disappeared, and was later tracked to the hotel where the crew was staying. The iPhone later ended up at the bottom of a river in Australia, where the flight had landed.
According to One Mile at a Time, the story has gone viral in Indonesia, after the iPhone owner posted about the saga to Instagram.
The owner of the iPhone had tracked the iPhone to the hotel, and actually drove there to investigate. A search of the hotel and nearby areas did not find the phone, although it was tracked to “the middle of the Yarra River,” hours after the crew left the hotel.
iCloud evidence contradicts defense for man accused of fatal road rage shooting
A man accused of the fatal shooting of a sports reporter in a January road rage incident near Kansas City has been arrested. While the accused said during questioning that he does not own a gun, evidence gleaned from his iCloud account showed photos of him holding a 9 mm handgun.
According to Law and Crime, the accused shooter claimed the gun belonged to a friend, but was unable to remember the friend’s name.
The deceased, 50-year-old Dennis Sharkey Jr., was a journalist who covered local sports in the area. The alleged shooter, Ruslan Huseynov, has been charged with second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon, and armed criminal action.
Ice Cube claimed TSA stole his iPad
Hip-hop legend and actor Ice Cube said on X on Friday that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) stole his iPad.
Bitch just had the nerve to leave a TSA check bag slip where they it stolen from. Another dirty government agency. SMGDH https://t.co/N4LIGT8kSP
— Ice Cube (@icecube) June 13, 2025
Not long after, the rapper, whose real name is O’Shea Jackson, posted that the iPad had been recovered.
AirTag leads to arrest of boat mechanic
The theft in Florida of a trailer and multiple boat motors, which had been equipped with an Airtag, has led to the arrest of a boat mechanic after the AirTag signal was followed to his residence.
NBC Miami reports that a search of the 58-year-old man’s home turned up more stolen items.
He was arrested and charged with a series of crimes, including grand theft of a vehicle, grand theft, possession of a vessel with no hull identification, and possession of an outboard motor with an altered serial number.