London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 17, 2025

AirTag in luggage led police to more than $16,000 in stolen items

AirTag in luggage led police to more than $16,000 in stolen items

The small Apple tracking device brought police to the home of an airline subcontractor in Florida.
Apple AirTags recently helped Florida police locate more than $16,000 of items stolen from luggage from the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport.

The suspect, 19-year-old Giovanni De Luca, was an airline subcontractor, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.

In July, a traveler reported that her luggage never arrived at her destination, and it was later listed as lost or stolen. The bag contained items worth more than $1,600, according to police. The Apple AirTag in her suitcase, however, showed that it was last active in the area of Kathy Court in Mary Esther, Fla. Another traveler also reported that more than $15,000 in jewelry and other belongings were taken from his luggage on Aug. 9.

While investigating, deputies cross-referenced employees who lived in the vicinity of Kathy Court, and De Luca came up. Investigators went to his home in the area on Aug. 10, and the items that were reported missing were recovered.

De Luca admitted to rummaging through the first victim’s suitcase and removing an Apple AirTag, but her belongings still have not been recovered. He is currently facing two counts of grand theft.

The small Apple tracking devices have become part of a travelers toolbox during a chaotic summer that’s been filled with canceled flights and lost luggage. Passengers have used them to locate bags when airlines said they were unable to be located.

“Traveling friends: consider getting an AirTag for your luggage. Saved my life today. And possibly the life of a dozen bagels,” Simon Doubleday, a historian at Hofstra University tweeted.

Aviation analyst Alex Macheras said he was able to help friends with missing bags “by showing airport staff exactly where the bags were.” He said that he was only able to do this “because they had AirTags inside.”

So far this year in the United States, luggage has been mishandled at higher rates. In May 2022, more than 237,000 piece of baggage were mishandled, up from more than 132,000 from May 2021.

Lost or backed-up luggage has plagued international travelers, too — maybe even worse than in the United States. Earlier this summer, bags piled up at Heathrow Airport in London, thanks to a shortage of handlers. Last month, Delta sent an extra plane to London to pick up 1,000 pieces of stranded luggage.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
×