Johnny Ehrman: California dad uses Apple AirTag to nab thief who stole daughter's $3,000 e-bike
ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: A California family recently recovered a stolen $3000 e-bike with the help of a $29 Apple AirTag. Johnny Ehrman was very upset after her electronic bike disappeared outside her workplace in March, even though she had locked the bike and removed the pedals and battery from the vehicle.
Ehrman reportedly informed the Orange County Police Department about the location that was initially pinging on the AirTag. However, authorities left the scene without further action after the suspect denied knowing anything about the crime, the Daily Mail reports. Shortly after, Ehrman and her father David decided to track the thief using AirTag pings after the bike began transmitting again.
READ MORE
'Terrified' mom claims unknown Apple AirTag tracked daughter's movements at Disney World
Emilie Brill: Apple AirTag helps woman reunite with pet dog swept away in California floods
‘The look was shock’
As Ehrman and her father tracked the former’s stolen e-bike, they noticed that the electronic vehicle stopped at an apartment complex near their Orange County home. David eventually went to the location and left the thief “flabbergasted” upon arrival before having a “brief confrontation” with the person, he told Fox 11 Los Angeles. “I yelled, ‘Dude I am grabbing my daughters bike,’ boom and I hightailed right out of there,” David said, “The dude just stood there with the look on his face like I've never seen anyone with that look. I think the look was shock. Like ‘how did you get my location?’”
David also said though he and his family is supportive of law enforcement, during the situation they felt that cops did not do enough once the AirTag showed its location, “I did what I had to do because they weren't doing what we pay them to do. We had the information within minutes why did they not send the officer there to meet us and arrest that person.”
The incident left Johnny Ehrman shattered
Johnny Ehrman reportedly relies on her e-bike to commute to school and work every day. She was left devastated after her vehicle was stolen from outside her workplace last month. “I drive like 12 miles a day,” Ehrman told Fox 11 Los Angeles. She added, “I was sobbing outside my workplace. I actually had some of my coworkers be like, ‘What's happening? Where is your bike?’”
Ehrman mentioned that although she locked the wheels and pedals and removed the battery from the bicycle, she believes it was stolen because it was not locked to a fixed object. Fortunately, Ehrman had previously made the wise decision to purchase a $29 Apple AirTag and attach the tracking device to her expensive vehicle before it was stolen. She told the publication that she was grateful to modern technology after successfully recovering the e-bike.
Officials urge citizens to let cops recover stolen items
In the wake of the incident, a spokesperson from the Orange County Sheriff's Department urged victims of theft to refrain from taking matters into their own hands and allowing police officers to recover stolen items. “As much as the convenience of technology plays a vital role in the quality of our lives, we want to remind our communities to utilize their local law enforcement services when they've been victimized by a crime instead of placing themselves into harm's way,” the spokesperson said in a statement. Officials are yet to release the name of the suspect who stole the e-bike from Ehrman.