iPhone Stolen —From Guy Who Just Stole It

How rampant is 'Apple-picking'—iPhone and iPad theft—in New York City? Well, last year saw 16,000 thefts, or 14% of total city crimes. Consider a case related by the New York Times, in which the same phone was stolen twice in an afternoon. A teenage girl was strolling through Brooklyn when a trio of teenage boys grabbed her iPhone from her hand. She quickly reported the theft to police, who escorted her in their car to look for the culprits. Meanwhile, one of the boys, carrying the phone, approached a man who appeared ready to buy it.

Rather than paying for it, however, the man stole it and fled. The boy then had the gumption to go to police himself, saying his phone had been stolen. Cops found the man and took him to a police station, along with the boy. Soon after, officer Denisse Pacheco—who was with the original victim—called the phone; in the ensuing conversation, both officers realized what was going on. Pacheco and the girl headed to the station, where the girl identified the boy, then put her PIN in the phone—something the boy wasn't able to do. (More iPhone stories.)