Failed thief thwarted by Find My iPhone after robbing 100 phones at Coachella

by: Christina Hernandez Apr 17, 2017

Reinaldo De Jesus Henao will become known in Coachella history as one of its biggest failed thieves. Throughout Weekend 1 of the festival, he spent his days treading the grounds and looking for any opportunity to quickly steal an unassuming attendee’s cell phone whenever he got the chance. He nearly got away with stealing upwards of 100 phones – a hefty chunk of change in his pocket had he been able to pawn them off.

Henao had one fatal oversight in his grand plan, however: he failed to turn off GPS tracking on his stolen property. Police had him in handcuffs with a $10,000 bail posted before the sun set on Friday evening, having been able to easily track his location thanks to his victims’ use of the “find my iPhone” feature. He’s since been released, though is facing charges for grand theft and receiving stolen property.

While the idea of having one’s location tracked at all times is a tad bit alarming and Orwellian in nature, in the case of Coachella-goers who were targeted, this intimate technology proved to be nothing short of an enormous win.

Those affected by Mr. Henao’s crimes are still able to retrieve their phones by way of the festival’s lost & found page.