Furious flyer tracks down stolen baggage to airport staff's house with just Apple Watch
Paola Garcia stepped into action after waiting for "at least two hours" at the baggage carousel for her luggage.
A furious flyer beat local police at their job as she used an Apple Watch stashed into her luggage to locate the stolen bag at the home of an airport employee.
Paola Garcia had been returning home from a holiday in New York with just her hand luggage but was told she would need to check it in.
After arriving back home in Florida, she followed other passengers on her Spirit Airlines flight to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to collect her bag – only to discover it had gone missing.
Ms Garcia said she waited "at least two hours" at the carousel to see if her pink hardshell luggage – which contained her personal MacBook and two Apple Watches - would turn up.
When it dawned on her the bag would not appear on the conveyor belt, she spoke to Spirit Airlines employees who reassured her the bag would be sent to her house once it was found.
Within 24 hours, the frustrated flyer started receiving a ping from one of her Apple Watches which showed her the device was not at the airport where it should have been but rather 15 minutes away at a Fort Lauderdale home.
An arrest affidavit obtained by local network Local 10 shows the house is the residence of airport employee Junior Bazile, 29.
Ms Garcia quickly headed to Bazile's home, where she found her suitcase, and contacted the police.
The woman said the "first thing" officers asked was why she was at the property and advised her the situation could be "dangerous" for her.
She said: "The police told me was like, ‘What are you doing here? This is so dangerous for you to be here."
The Broward Sheriff’s Office was able to confirm Bazile was an employee at retail store Paradies Shops inside the airport and had been working the day Ms Garcia's bag went missing.
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However, the alleged thief had already gotten rid of the woman's belongings by the time officers arrived at the Fort Lauderdale property.
The Sheriff's Office launched an investigation and found footage showing Bazile rummaging through the pink bag in the back of the shop where he worked.
The 29-year-old was later charged with grand theft, which could land him with a sentence of up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to £7,800 ($10,000).
Ms Garcia welcomed the decision but admitted fearing the man might have been part of a bigger airport theft scheme.
She said: "Personally, I don’t think it’s one person working in the airport, I think it’s a group. One person can’t just do that, take bags.”
The Sheriff's Office did not disclose how Bazile was able to allegedly smuggle the bag out of the airport.
