The Apple Store at Rundle Place in Australia
A UPS driver is accused of stealing $175,000 worth of iPhones in 90 days, birds meet a grisly end at an Apple Store in Australia, and a football coach is charged with hacking iCloud, all on this week’s Apple crime blotter.
UPS driver accused of stealing 171 iPhones
A man who worked for UPS in Florida was arrested and accused of stealing 171 iPhones, valued at $175,000, over the course of 90 days. According to WEAR TV, the man made the habit of stealing the product, each containing an iPhone 16, out of packages.
All of the shipments were meant for T-Mobile customers, and UPS discovered that the missing phone had all been handled by that man. He was charged with grand theft cargo worth $50,000 or more, and has admitted guilt.
In March, a different UPS driver was arrested in Texas, also for widespread theft of parcels with Apple products.
Dozens of birds crash into Apple Store in Australia
Apple Store robberies used to be regular occurrences, with one such incident, the 2022 Amsterdam hostage situation, even the subject of a film that debuted on Netflix this week.
Recent weeks and months have seen a paucity of reports of major Apple Store break-ins and robberies, possibly thanks to crackdowns on retail theft in California and other parts of the country.
But there has been an unfortunate incident at one Apple Store, involving birds.
HORRIFIC BIRD STRIKE INCIDENT IN ADELAIDE
Dozens of native tree martins crashed into Apple store windows in Adelaide, leaving some birds dead and others injured
The incident occurred after birds were spooked by a falcon and flew into large glass windows of the store pic.twitter.com/vMkofwNQfg
— Info Room (@InfoR00M) April 18, 2025
Yahoo! News reported that dozens of birds “shockingly plummeted” into the windows of the Apple Store in Adelaide, Australia. According to the report, 50 native Tree Martins crashed into the store, with some dying and others being injured.
Apple plans to “install a film on the exterior of the glass” to deter the birds, the report said.
A man who formerly served as an assistant football coach for the University of Michigan and the Baltimore Ravens has pleaded not guilty to 24 counts of unauthorized access to computers and aggravated identity theft.
Per ESPN, prosecutors have accused Matt Weiss of carrying out a”decade-long effort to gain access to the social media, email and iCloud accounts belonging to thousands of mostly female college athletes.” Prosecutors say Weiss used the opportunity to obtain intimate photos of the victims.
Weiss’s alleged crimes took place while he was at several different jobs, including in Michigan. He has also been sued by at least 17 different women.
AirTag leads to man’s arrest for stealing from construction site
An AirTag left on a STIHL concrete saw led to the arrest of a man for stealing from a construction site.
According to the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page, the item was tracked to a home. The security footage had also spotted a truck, which matched one at the home.
A 44-year-old man was arrested and charged with possession of stolen property/felony, and with interference. The man also had burglary charges pending in Colorado.
Woman accused of iPhone theft “ruse” at Walmart
Police in North Carolina have arrested a woman for claiming an iPhone was stolen in 2023, but lied.
Per WNCN, the incident happened in December of 2023, when the woman told police that an iPhone was stolen and placed in a recycling kiosk. Police have since determined that the woman lied. She knew the person who stole the iPhone, and the two arrived at the Walmart in the same car.
She has been arrested, with a bond set at $5,000.
Rapper, singer feuding over stolen iPhone
Claims of a stolen iPhone 16 have led to a “heated feud” between South African rapper Fifi Cooper and singer Naledi Aphiwe.
According to Bona, Naledi said she left her phone in a bathroom and had a conversation with a rapper assumed to be Cooper, after which the rapper “left the bathroom in an odd manner.”
Cooper, however, has “fired back” on TikTok.
iCloud evidence used in arrest of Ohio man on gun, destructive device charges
Police in the Cincinnati area arrested a man on April 17 and charged him with possession of an unregistered firearm and possession of a destructive device. All following a series of incidents that took place in April of 2024.
According to Fox 19, police say the man was responsible for an “improvised explosive device” that was found in September at a soccer complex.
He has been charged for this and other past incidents, and law enforcement obtained a federal search warrant for his iCloud account, which turned up evidence. Among that evidence was “videos of explosions including the destruction of a car,” as well as “recipes” for bombs.
Person of interest sought in Louisiana iPad theft
The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating the March theft of a $1,200 iPad. It was discovered after the owner’s son started receiving FaceTime calls from the device from someone else, described as “an unknown, older white male with glasses.”
Those who recognize the man are advised to contact the Criminal Investigations Office at 985-902-2043.
