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Nov 11, 2023

Raleigh man uses Apple AirTag to solve RDU theft

The small Apple device meant for locating misplaced items, known as an AirTag, has a major off-label use: crime solving. From aiding in a DEA-led drug bust to helping a Cary couple find their car,

The small Apple device meant for locating misplaced items, known as an AirTag, has a major off-label use: crime solving.

From aiding in a DEA-led drug bust to helping a Cary couple find their car, Apple AirTags are being used to track down stolen merchandise and illegal products. Most recently, a Raleigh man used his AirTag to track down a pair of stolen headphones.

Mat Krantz flys on a plane for work almost weekly. To find some peace and quiet in the often noisy environment of airports and airplanes, Krantz keeps his wireless headphones close by.

“It blocks out all the background noise,” Krantz said.

While getting off a Delta flight from Atlanta at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport, he noticed his constant air travel companion was missing.

“I immediately did the pat check, and realized that I had left them on the plane,” Krantz said.

Krantz wasn’t allowed back on the plane, but within seconds he knew exactly where his headphones were, thanks to an Apple AirTag connected to his headphone case. He alerted RDU and Delta officials to the situation, went home and monitored the headphones' location on his iPad. For six hours, Krantz said his AirTag and headphones sat at RDU.

“I thought to myself, 'Okay, that’s good. They’re probably in lost and found, no big deal,'" Krantz said.

However, when Krantz woke up the next day, he discovered the AirTag indicated his headphones were at a random home in Raleigh.

“It moved in the middle of the night, right when I would think a shift worker's shift would end when the airport closed," Krantz said. "So, my first thought was, 'Oh, the cleaning crew probably took it home with them.'”

Krantz's next thought was to drive right to the house, a thought immediately quashed by his wife.

“She was like, 'Do you want to die over a pair of headphones?' And I was like, 'No, you're right. Let’s let the police do that job. Let’s let them figure that out,'” Krantz said.

Wake County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Bradley Hart is not affiliated with this case but tells WRAL 5 On Your Side that Krantz did the right thing by contacting authorities.

“If you think your stuff has been lost or stolen and you’re tracking it to an address, feel free to call us," Hart said. "We can come out and assist you by knocking on the door and asking questions.”

Hart tells 5 On Your Side that while authorities can reach out to the people where the AirTag is located, in most cases, an AirTag is not enough to justify issuing a warrant.

“Often times, the AirTag has a radius and is not completely accurate," Hart said. "If we show up at someone’s door, and they tell us they don’t know what we are talking about or that they don’t have the item, we have to leave.”

Hart added that investigators will then look for additional information like surveillance video to issue a warrant.

In Krantz’s case, he alerted RDU police. He says the police then went to the home connected to the AirTag.

“They knocked on the door and when the person answered, they owned up to the situation and handed back my headphones,” Krantz said.

Krantz tells WRAL 5 On Your Side that RDU police told him that the person was employed at RDU.

When WRAL 5 On Your Side asked RDU authorities to confirm this, we were told to direct our questions to Delta.

A Delta spokesperson says the person involved in the incident no longer works for their company.

Krantz admits it was a lot of effort to go through for a $100 pair of headphones, but it’s an odyssey he would go on again, just for the principle of it.

“I don’t like it when people take advantage of other people,” Krantz said. “I don’t want to press any charges. I just wanted my headphones back.”