North Carolina couple outsmarts car thieves with Apple AirTag: 'They picked the wrong car'

A couple in North Carolina had their car stolen while they were asleep. However, they were able to locate the criminals within minutes, thanks to an Apple AirTag.

Antar and Leslie Muhammad woke up Saturday morning to discover that their Toyota Camry was stolen right out of their driveway in Cary, North Carolina.

Antar Muhammad told WRAL, "We woke up, and I looked outside, and I asked my wife, 'Hey, do you know your car's no longer in the driveway?'"

A doorbell camera caught the moment that thieves stole the Muhammads' car on Friday night.

"They were going around checking vehicles, and they thought they got lucky. They picked the wrong vehicle. They just didn’t realize it," Antar Muhammad said.

Luckily for the couple and unlucky for the criminals, the Muhammads wisely placed an Apple AirTag device in both of their cars.

An Apple AirTag is a small, lightweight disc that uses a technology called ultra-wideband and Apple's Find My app to provide precise location tracking capabilities. AirTags, which debuted in 2021, give Apple users the ability to track their wallets, luggage, keys, and more.

Antar told the local outlet, "One hundred dollars for a pack of 4 – it's one of the greatest security systems you can have. As soon as we get a new vehicle or new item – backpack or purse or luggage – I open one up and put one in just for safety measures."

Leslie said, "If there’s an easy, especially low-budget, way of finding a way to keep your home and family and items secure, that’s the best way to do it."

The couple used the Find My app to accurately track down the stolen vehicle within minutes.

"I'm able to pinpoint exactly where it's at and actually to zoom in and almost precisely pick out the parking space the car was in," Antar explained.

The thieves had driven the stolen car to a neighborhood about 12 miles away. The couple notified the local police, who then contacted the Durham Police Department.

Durham police officers found the couple's car, but the thieves had already crashed it. Durham police officers took three underage suspects into custody.

The couple said the entire ordeal was resolved in about two and a half hours.

"Thank God, we were safe. Nothing valuable was in there," Antar said.

Leslie added, "The way technology is advancing, I think so will the mindset of some of the thieves. I think it's important for people to be aware of what’s out there to support them when it comes to their own personal safety and your items – your home, your cars. If there's an easy, especially low-budget way, to keep your home and family secure, that’s the best way to do it."

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