Victims use iPad app to track down Christmas present thieves
A group of thieves who robbed several properties across Brisbane have been tracked down by one of their victims, who used an app to locate his stolen iPad.
Garry Moore said his house in Springwood was completely ransacked when he arrive home on Tuesday.
“Windows had been busted open, all Christmas gifts stolen, iPads, computers... the house had pretty much been cleared out,” he told 7 News.
The thieves were eager to play with their new toys, but turning on the iPad activated the Find My Phone App.
Mr Moore’s son, Brendan, received the signal on his phone.
“I said to dad, ‘I've got a location, it's maybe 20 minutes away’. So we went out for a drive," he said.
The pair tracked the thieves from Springwood to Capalaba where they spotted the five teens sitting in two cars.
They then followed them to Logan Central, through Forest Lake and then back to Shailer Park.
From there they went north to Kenmore then on to Nundah.
Brendan made sure they were watching their every move.
“We were within metres, I could tell what side of the road they were on, what street they were on, what direction they were going in,” he said.
Mr Moore said he got in contact with police to relay the information to officers.
“We were liaising with police so we were feeding back the information to the comms units,” he said.
The father and son stopped following at Brisbane Airport where police took over.
The five-hour pursuit finally ended in Oxenford, a suburb on the Gold Coast.
It is alleged the teens started their crime spree earlier that day, stealing the two cars from a home in Sunnybank Hills.
They robbed houses in Boronia Heights, Woodridge and Mr Moore’s home at Springwood before hitting businesses in Wishart and Calamvale.
The five teens have been charged.
Mr Moore said he won’t let the break-in ruin his family’s Christmas.
