What you need to know
- A stolen scooter in NYC was tracked down because it had two AirTags attached to it.
- Dan Guido says he convinced NYPD to help him find his scooter after showing them how the technology worked.
- He found his scooter for sale in an e-bike store.
Dan Guido managed to track down his stolen scooter using AirTag after convincing the NYPD to help him by demonstrating the technology.
Guido says the scooter was stolen on Monday night after he forgot to properly lock it up whilst out for dinner. He had two AirTags hidden in the scooter, a decoy one that was visible, and a more subtle one hidden inside the stem. Guido contacted NYPD but they refused to help as they thought he was trying to help them steal something and had to board a flight assuming he'd never see the scooter again.
A whole week passed and the scooter didn't move, thankfully this meant Apple's anti-stalking measures weren't triggered, so Guido tried to convince the NYPD a second time:
I immediately encountered resistance:
1) go back to where it was stolen and call 911
2) that’s not our precinct
3) we can’t help you if it’s inside a residence
4) I’m not familiar with your voodoo magic^H^H^H AirtagsI immediately encountered resistance:
1) go back to where it was stolen and call 911
2) that’s not our precinct
3) we can’t help you if it’s inside a residence
4) I’m not familiar with your voodoo magic^H^H^H Airtags— Dan Guido (@dguido) August 10, 2021August 10, 2021
Guido says he was patient with them and even demonstrated how they worked with an AirTag on his keys, at which point they agreed to help, eventually turning up at a used e-bike store that matched the location. Guido went inside, found his scooter, and proved it was his by pinging the AirTag and pairing his iPhone to the scooter Then things started to get a bit hairy:
At this point, one mechanic started making excuses for the current state of it: the woman who brought it in had complained about the brakes, so he cut the power line to the handlebars and then removed them. This is not how to repair brakes: pic.twitter.com/WZhsUTSp6QAt this point, one mechanic started making excuses for the current state of it: the woman who brought it in had complained about the brakes, so he cut the power line to the handlebars and then removed them. This is not how to repair brakes: pic.twitter.com/WZhsUTSp6Q— Dan Guido (@dguido) August 10, 2021August 10, 2021
An employee inside realizes we're investigating further. He immediately becomes agitated: I should be happy I got my scooter back and leave. It’s my fault for getting it stolen. I’m screwing up his day. This isn’t how we do things in Brooklyn. More joined in.An employee inside realizes we're investigating further. He immediately becomes agitated: I should be happy I got my scooter back and leave. It’s my fault for getting it stolen. I’m screwing up his day. This isn’t how we do things in Brooklyn. More joined in.— Dan Guido (@dguido) August 10, 2021August 10, 2021
As the police continued to gather evidence one employee followed him outside:
I move outside while one cop retrieves the evidence, but the most aggressive employee followed me. He says, "All you're doing is making enemies." Gets closer to me, and pantomimes shooting me. He implies I'd get murdered if he sees me again.
Yikes. Guido says there are a few lessons he learned about using AirTags to recover something stolen, namely:
- Use an AirTag adhesive so it blends into whatever you're trying to hang on to
- Don't turn on Lost Mode, as that will alert the thief
- Act quickly before anti-stalking kicks in
- Call the police
You can read the full story here.
You can do it
The AirTag runs on an ordinary user-replaceable CR2032 battery.
