Over the past few months, there have been a few Find my iPhone stories whereupon iPhone owners recap how they were able to track down a missing or stolen device. But the following story from an iPhone user in Wichita Falls, Texas certainly takes the cake. It involves a stolen car, an arrest, a high speed car chase, and ultimately, the return of an undamaged iPhone to its rightful owner.
Find my iPhone up until recently was a feature exclusively available to MobileMe subscribers. Back in late November, however, Apple wisely chose to make the incredible service free to all iOS 4.2 users. In case you’re unfamiliar, Find my iPhone lets users track a missing/stolen iOS device on a map, lock or erase the device if they think it’s fallen into the wrong hands, and even send a message to the missing iPhone on the off chance that it came into the possession of a good samaritan.
Over the past few months, there have been a few Find my iPhone stories whereupon iPhone owners recap how they were able to track down a missing or stolen device. But the following story from an iPhone user in Wichita Falls, Texas certainly takes the cake. It involves a stolen car, an arrest, a high speed car chase, and ultimately, the return of an undamaged iPhone to its rightful owner.
Pretty amazing Christmas Story! Early this morning my 2005 Land Rover was stolen from the Marriott in Wichita Falls TX. The local police put me on hold, transferred me around and did nothing. My iPhone was in the car in between the seats and turned on. I tracked it usingMobileMe Find My Phone to HWY 287 on the way to Decatur. When they exited the highway and headed on a Farm road for Justin TX a few miles away, I contacted the Justin Police and with the help of a very savvy operator we pinpointed the car at a Sonic. While I was on the phone with her, she said the officer sees your car and is going to make the arrest. A few minutes later she frantically calls me to start tracking the car again. The officer had handcuffed the suspects, sat one down on the curb while putting the other in the back seat. When he got back, the guy had Houdini’d the cuffs from behind his back to the front, fought with the officer and jumped in my car, dragged him and ran over him. I followed the car on the iPhone and directed the Highway Patrol to where he was – high speed chase ending with him flipping the Land Rover several times. The policeman is going to be fine – he is at the hospital with multiple bruises etc. The screenshot is where the car thieves ran over the policeman and escaped. I am just so thankful the policeman was not seriously hurt – I could care less about the car or the crook.
Now that’s an iPhone Christmas Miracle!
via 9to5Mac
