Wallet and iPhone stolen today; Cops returned because of iPhone tracking

[MR_22]

Got an interesting story to tell. My wallet and iPhone were stolen at a gas station this morning after I accidentally left it on the back of my car while fueling up.

This morning on my way to work, I got gas just before I got on the freeway. After paying for gas, I accidentally left my wallet on the back of my car when I drove away. My wallet also doubles as an iPhone cases, so I lost both my wallet and my iPhone at the same time and didn't realize it until I had gotten to work in Sandy.

I then immediately pulled out my iPad at work, which has the "Find my Iphone" app installed—as does my iPhone—and confirmed via the app that my cell phone was indeed still at the gas station. So I jumped back in my car and ran down to get it.

By the time I got back to the gas station, the icon representing my iPhone had started to move north, indicating that somebody had picked it up and left the gas station. I called my phone from inside the gas station 6 times and got no answer. I then activated the "Find my iPhone" alarm twice from my iPad, which is pretty loud on the phone, even if he phone is muted, which it was. No response—I thought maybe they would call back, but no suck luck.

So I called the local city police and they showed up and took my report. The icon for my iPhone was still on the move, so I the police officer my iPad so he could track my iPhone from his patrol SUV--and I then I went back to work. I logged into the app online and watched my iPhone drive all over the Salt Lake valley for over two hours, while the icon of my iPad followed it, sometimes close, sometimes not so close. Eventually, up near the University of Utah, both icons stopped along the side of the road for about ten minutes—I figured the cop had pulled over the person who had my phone.

Soon thereafter, I got the call from the police—they had recovered both my wallet and my phone, although it looked as though the phone had been run over by a car, but it was still sending out the location signal.

When I got my phone back, the policeman said a bus driver had it. He said he found it on the side of the road, presumably where the original thief had tossed it when the loud alarm sounded and they realized the phone was being tracked.

So I got back my wallet and ID and all my credit cards, although by then I had canceled the cards (I don't know if they wrote the credit card numbers down or not). The whole time during the chase, I was logged in and was watching my iPad icon chase my iPhone icon all over town, from the south end of the valley, up north, and then toward the east. The bus driver was good about returning it and apparently hadn't had time to try to contact the owner, since he found the phone and had to keep up his bus schedule. The police believe he was an honest bystander who found the phone and wasn't the original thief who maliciously took it.

Apparently the police officer had called the UTA bus dispatcher and had the bus pull over, after which they began to ask rider to empty their pockets--when the bus driver noted that he had found a cell phone.

Anyway, my thanks go out to the police officer for following my iPhone using my iPad all over town, as the bus driver made his usual rounds, and for following up with me after it was al over. I'm now even a bigger fan of the "Find my iPhone" app and will recommend to anyone who has an iPhone to install it!

Afterwards, my wife suggested I write the local TV station about what happened, so I wrote the above info and send it off to them. Within about a half hour, they called me and wanted to interview me on camera, which they did this afternoon. I don't know if it'll make it onto their newscast night, but it was pretty cool to have them come to see me, just the same.

On the way home from work, I got a new iPhone 5. There's a silver lining to everything, eh?

[TwoGunJayne]

Heh, so on the news article they'll identify you as "Mr. 22, iphone owner."

It isn't as interesting of a career discription as some on the net.

[MR_22]

LOL. I didn't tell 'em about my ID here. Here's the TV news story on it:

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=26330806&nid=148&title=app-helps-man-police-track-his-stolen-phone&fm=home_page&s_cid=queue-1

[TwoGunJayne]

It's all good. At least the news didn't Zimmerman you.

[bud]

That is interesting! Glad they didn't find your mini, or was it in the car or on your person?

[MR_22]

It's all good. At least the news didn't Zimmerman you.

LOL. Good point. But some of the comments on the news story seem to be doing just that. Sheesh, there's a lot of stupid people out there (and here's hoping I'm not one of them!).

[MR_22]

That is interesting! Glad they didn't find your mini, or was it in the car or on your person?

Well, I'm a gadget freak--so I have both an iPad and an iPad mini. My mini is wifi-only, so I leave it at home. What I had was my iPad 3G, which has an old screen protector on it that's in HORRIBLE shape. The picture of it is embarrassing, LOL.

But the only reason somebody got my iPhone was because it was in my wallet. I never put my wallet on the trunk of my car, but I did this time. I don't know why. I have NEVER left my wallet on the back and lost it this way--NEVER. But on the bright side, I got my wallet back BECAUSE my iPhone was with it. I'm sure I would have never gotten it back had I not had the "tracking device" (my iPhone!) inside my wallet. Hehe.

The interesting story ended up being worth the hassle and loss of my phone--I needed to upgrade anyway. It's been 2.5 years since I got my old iPhone 4. The new iPhone 5 is the silver lining. My 2 minutes of fame was kind of fun, too.

[TwoGunJayne]

The KSL comments are really sad. I can't believe that it turned into a smartphone operating system flame war.

[Maccab]

What you chaps need are lanyards, on your wallet and your phone case.

Awhile ago I lived in London and I often lost my phone/wallet when I was out drinking in the city.

Until the advent of smartphones, when they cost to much to lose my wallet was less of a concern as I had spent its contents on said phone, but I got two lanywards para cord type material boot lace sized with a metal clip etc and stiched them onto my wallet and phone case never lost either since.

[MR_22]

The KSL comments are really sad. I can't believe that it turned into a smartphone operating system flame war.

Yeah, it's pretty stupid--especially when the very thing they are complaining about was answered, if they had paid attention or read more closely.

Sometimes you just can't believe what is said in public forums...!

[MR_22]

What you chaps need are lanyards, on your wallet and your phone case.

People already think I'm pretty nerdy. All I need is my phone hanging from my neck! JK.

I have a lanyard on a leather cap that I wear while driving my convertible in the hot sun. It helps keeps the sun out of my eyes so I can see while driving and keeps me cooler by preventing the hot sun on my head. The wind has caught it a few times, but the lanyard is effective at keeping my hat safe.

[III]

Hmm...I'm thinking that bus driver was at that same gas station.  Well either way, glad to hear it all turned out.

[Uncle_Lee]

"People already think I'm pretty nerdy. All I need is my phone hanging from my neck! JK."

I thought you were old enough to not care what people thought of you.
It is cheaper than buying new iPhones all the time.
How are you going to feel when you have to hang a life alert button around your neck.
"Help, I've fallen and I can't get up.."

[TwoGunJayne]

"Help, I've fallen and I can't get up.."

Don't they have a pill for that now? 

[MR_22]

Hmm...I'm thinking that bus driver was at that same gas station.  Well either way, glad to hear it all turned out.

The bus driver claimed to have picked up the wallet/phone in the middle of the street 30 blocks from the gas station where it was left. If he picked it up at the gas station, he lied about it.

(The gas station was at 136th south and the bus driver claimed to have found the wallet at 106th south. That's quite a distance.)

[MR_22]

It is cheaper than buying new iPhones all the time.
How are you going to feel when you have to hang a life alert button around your neck.
"Help, I've fallen and I can't get up.."

I guess you're right about that. My wife sometimes complains that I DON'T CARE what people think of me. It's actually liberating.