By Kevin Deutsch
Two smash-and-grab thieves might have gotten away with ripping off a mother at a Coral Springs daycare—if not for her Apple AirPods.
The high-tech headphones helped Broward Sheriff’s Office detectives solve the burglary of the woman’s car last week after she used the AirPods’ GPS technology to track their movements, court records show.
The victim, police said, had parked her red Ford Escape at Kiddie Academy of Coral Springs on March 3 and was walking her daughter into the school at 5876 Wiles Rd. when the burglars struck.
Riding in a white Kia Optima with stolen plates, accused thieves Marcus Fullwood, 27, of Tamarac, and Curtis Jones, 35, of North Lauderdale, pulled into the daycare’s parking lot 30 seconds after the victim parked, police said.
Outside the daycare, the men smashed open a window of the victim’s Ford and stole her AirPods, wallet, credit cards, necklace, and other property, police allege.
As soon as she discovered the break-in, the local mom sprang into action.
“The victim was able to live GPS track her Apple AirPods,” police wrote in the affidavit.
While investigators and the victim tracked the headphones’ movements, detectives reviewed surveillance footage from the daycare and used the county’s network of license plate readers to hone in on the burglars’ precise location, records show.
Detectives tracked the men down at a Walmart at 2500 Broward Boulevard, where they had just tried to buy $304 in gift cards, the affidavit states. The transactions were all declined because the victim had canceled her bank cards, according to police.
Police followed the men and arrested both a short time later, finding the stolen property in their possession, records show.
Fullwood and Jones were charged with car burglary, fraudulent use or possession of another person’s identification, illegal use of a credit card, possession of burglary tools, and petit theft.
Jailing and bond information for the men was not available Tuesday.
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