Miami Man Arrested After Stolen iPhone Traces Back to His Jeep With 20 Other Phones

Metro Nashville Police detained a Miami man after a determined Illinois woman's search for her stolen iPhone led them to the suspect's Jeep, which had her phone and over 20 other stolen items wrapped in aluminum foil.

The MNPD reported that the arrest of Orelcy Hernandez Montero, 54, of Miami, has revealed a possible organized mobile phone stealing scheme. Authorities are still probing Montero, who is now charged with two charges of felony theft and one count of misdemeanor theft, according to WSVN.

Persistence Pays Off

The event started when the 25-year-old victim noticed her $1,200 iPhone was stolen from her handbag inside the Layer Cake restaurant on 3rd Avenue South on Sunday morning. She tracked the phone's movement to a parking lot behind the restaurant using the tracking function on her Apple Watch.

The victim immediately called the police and requested aid, and they arrived at the site quickly. The victim's phone was constantly pinging when they discovered a maroon Jeep Waggoneer in the parking lot. The cops saw the stolen iPhone inside the car, obviously visible.

The police followed Montero's Jeep after seeing him enter and leave it on surveillance footage. Montero called an Uber to escape the cops when he returned. Before he could flee, he was apprehended by authorities.

With a search warrant, the law enforcers entered the Jeep and found 17 more mobile phones, several of which were meticulously wrapped in aluminum foil to cover up their signals, according to WSMV. The search yielded a laptop and a woman's wallet. One phone was stolen from a man's pocket inside Kid Rock's Broadway club the night before, according to the inquiry. The wallet had been stolen from an Alabama lady at Jason Aldean's club on Broadway at the same time.

To locate the legitimate owners of the seized phones and laptops discovered in Montero's hands, MNPD's investigation is still underway.

Tech Giants Collaborate To Curb Unauthorized Tracking

In a similar trend, there has been an increase in worry about using Bluetooth location-tracking devices for unauthorized tracking. To counteract this abuse, Apple and Google co-submitted a suggested industry standard in response in May.

The industry-first protocol will allow Bluetooth location-tracking devices to work with unauthorized tracking detection and alarms on iOS and Android systems, according to Apple Newsroom. The draft standard, which offers manufacturers best practices and guidelines for incorporating these defensive features into their devices, has received the backing of well-known firms, including Samsung, Tile, Chipolo, Security, and Pebblebee.

Apple's vice president of sensing and connectivity, Ron Huang, underlined that the industry definition expands on the proactive capabilities designed to prevent unauthorized tracking already included in Apple's AirTag and the Find My iPhone network. The joint efforts of Apple and Google represent a substantial advancement in resolving the problem on the iOS and Android platforms.