Car Thief Who Stole A $575K Ferrari Thwarted By Apple's $129 AirPods
An alleged car thief who was arrested for stealing a 2023 Ferrari 812 GTS, a sports car that's worth over half a million dollars, must have thought he scored a major haul. However, he was undone by a pair of Apple's AirPods (possibly the new AirPods 4) that the owner left in the vehicle. Police were able to locate the stolen vehicle using Apple's Find My location tracking and recover the stolen vehicle.
That wasn't the only Apple product that led to an arrest. According to a local news report, police in Greenwich, Connecticut tracked the location of the stolen vehicle by pinpointing where the AirPods were, and pulled over the driver. The driver subsequently jumped out of $575,000 Ferrari and fled, but in his haste, he left an iPhone on the seat.
The abandoned iPhone was identified as belonging to Dion Schontten, a 22-year-old from Waterbury, Connecticut. Armed with that info, the police where able to make an arrest.
Police say Schontten and fellow suspect Keon Webster, age 19 years old, are linked to at least one other car theft, a 2023 Acura that was reported missing from New York. The duo are described as having "extensive criminal histories."
"Keon Webster is somebody we are very, very familiar with. As an adult he has seven pending charges that are related to auto theft and other violent crime," Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo told WFSB.com. "WPD continues to actively investigate motor vehicle thefts and hold individuals accountable for their actions. The arrest of Schontten and Webster, both with extensive criminal histories, demonstrates our commitment to ensuring that repeat offenders are held accountable so they do not continue to victimize our community."
It's not clear which model of AirPods the Ferrari's owner left in the stolen vehicle. Regardless, all of the AirPods models are relatively cheap in comparison to a Ferrari. The AirPods 4, for example, can be bought on sale for $119 on Amazon (down from $119), while the AirPods Pro 2 can be had for $249.99 at Best Buy.
The owner got a little bit lucky, it appears. Rather than relying on earbuds or other devices getting left behind, an inexpensive protective measure that car owners can take is to hide an AirTag somewhere inside the vehicle. You can score a single AirTag for $24.98 on Amazon, or grab a 4-pack for $79.98 (on sale from $99). This author has even hid one on a motorcycle.
