Car Owner Finds Stolen Hyundai Using an AirTag, Comes Face-to-Face With the Thief

A couple from Vancouver discovered the hard way that Apple's tracker is an incredible piece of technology, as it helped find their stolen Hyundai Accent. However, the story isn't that simple, as the couple eventually embarked on a crazy adventure to recover the car.

Becca Hislop and her partner Dylan planted an AirTag in their 2013 Hyundai Accent just in case the worst happens. And it did, as someone stole the vehicle from a location close to Science World. It's unclear how they started the car, but considering it's a 2013 Accent, the thief most likely hot-wired the vehicle.

The couple started the search for the Hyundai, using a carshare vehicle to reach the location provided by the AirTag. They found the stolen car in traffic near St. Paul's Hospital, and Dylan immediately confronted the thief. The man behind the wheel came face-to-face with him, and despite claiming they'd stop the car, they eventually drove away.

The couple contacted law enforcement to report the theft and provided the officers with live location information shared by the AirTag. Together with their friends, they also started a chase of their own, trying to find the vehicle as it traveled to various locations, including at McDonald's and a winery.

Police handled the case seriously, so they even did traffic stops and searched residences, according to a recent report. The vehicle was nowhere to be seen, so the search continued.

The couple eventually found what they believed was the stolen car using AirTag information, but as it turned out, the thief was already a step ahead. The thief found the AIrTag in the car and planted it into a carshare vehicle. Police offers already contacted Evo to ask for personal information on customers who rented the vehicle.

In the meantime, law enforcement found the vehicle in the 300 block of East Hasting Street, probably as the thief abandoned it when they noticed the police were on their tail. It's unclear if the vehicle suffered any damage, but the fuse panel was removed, possibly as the thief wanted to disable potential GPS trackers.

Hislop now says she plans to plant two AirTags in her car, just in case a thief finds one of them. AirTags generate warnings on nearby iPhones when they move with a smartphone, and this is probably how the thief became aware of the tracker's presence. This is an anti-stalking feature, as Apple wants to prevent malicious actors with bad intentions from using the AirTag to monitor their victims.

Hislop has published a video of her partner's encounter with the thief, hoping someone recognizes the criminal and helps the police find them.