The plainclothes detail of the midnight Transit District 34 team of the New York Police Department used the Find My iPhone app to locate a suspect.
New York City police officers used a simple solution to nab a cellphone thief: the Find My iPhone app, according to the NYPD.
A woman’s smartphone and cash from her purse were stolen on August 10 while she had been asleep on the Q train. A plainclothes detail of the midnight Transit District 34 team used Find My iPhone to locate the suspect.
The anti-crime team was able to quickly find him because the victim’s phone was pinging loudly in his hand, according to the New York Police Department. One of the officers also noticed the victim’s picture on the home screen of the stolen phone.
Police said the suspect was charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property.
“These kinds of arrests are important because the vast majority of citizens obey the law. As police, our job is to vigorously protect innocent people from those who do not. Policing isn’t just about crime, it’s about serving the public,” said Sergeant Napoli, the head of the team.
Get a daily look at what’s developing in science and technology throughout the world.