Police in Atlanta arrested a man for stealing luggage from the city airport after the purported victim of the crime tracked him down using the Apple Air Tag stored in his bag.
James Reid tracked down Craig Nelson after his luggage was stolen following a return flight to Atlanta from Los Angeles.
“This guy, so he stole my luggage. I had about $3,000 worth of stuff in here,” Mr Reid was quoted as saying to WSB-TV.
“I’m going to baggage claim and all that ... I’m trying to look for my luggage. I’m standing there for like 30 minutes or so. I’m not seeing it.
“Eventually, I pulled my phone out, so I have an Air Tag in my luggage. After I had seen that it was not in the airport, it was actually in Grady.”
Mr Reid noticed the Air Tag was moving back to the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and informed airport officials while continuing to track its location using his phone.
The location on the device led him to the suspect and he was able to confront the man.
“This silver one here, I have a tracking device in it and I tracked it to you. And you have my shirt on ... that’s insane. My shirt and my jeans,” Mr Reid said.
Airport authorities said that they are cooperating with the Atlanta police.
Police said that Nelson was subsequently arrested and charged with theft by taking, unlawful removal of baggage and criminal trespass.
“You can literally walk into baggage claim, like walk straight in and possibly take somebody’s luggage and walk out and nobody would even know,” Mr Reid said.
There have been several instances of bags being mishandled by US airlines at airports.
Last year, Sam Brinton, an official in the Department of Energy, was charged with felony theft when police claimed they stole a woman’s Vera Bradley suitcase in September from the Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport.
Brinton was fired from the department after the charges were confirmed.
