Stolen car saga: How AirTag led Nashville police to suspected thief

Remember the days when losing something meant it was gone forever? Yeah, I do, too, but thanks to tech, those days are history (well, mostly). For just 29 bucks, you can save yourself a ton of cash or a massive headache. We’ve heard those stories about missing bags, stolen gears, and jacked rides getting a second lease on life thanks to an AirTag, and guess what? It happened again.

The police in Nashville successfully located a stolen car and the alleged car thief, all thanks to an AirTag. According to a report from local news outlet WSMV4 (via 9to5 Mac), the victim called the police to report his stolen vehicle. He also informed the officers that there was an AirTag in the car, which allowed him to track its location using the Find My app on his iPhone.

The action continued with aviation unit officers joining in. They tracked down the stolen car and followed it to a barbershop on Mountain View Road. The 18-year-old suspect parked and headed inside. The officers in the air radioed a description to their ground team, who nabbed the suspect.

The police found the 2016 Dodge Charger Scat Pack, but that wasn’t the end of the story. It turns out the suspect had a brown backpack when he got busted, and what’s inside? A screwdriver, a vehicle key fob, and a device for reprogramming vehicle keys. Talk about a toolkit for trouble!

In addition to all the car-stealing gear, the police found a handgun, 49 grams of marijuana, a digital scale, and a bunch of those tiny plastic baggies. Looks like the suspect was prepared for all sorts of criminal situations, but he wasn’t ready to deal with an AirTag.

The 18-year-old alleged car thief is currently in custody on a $28,500 bond. He’s looking at a range of charges, including vehicle theft and unauthorized use of a vehicle. As of now, there’s no get-out-of-jail card in his deck.