Thief foiled by cellphone tracking app, Burbank police say
A would-be phone thief was thwarted after Burbank police used the stolen mobile device’s tracking app to locate him.
Police arrested 37-year-old Anthony Romero of Burbank on suspicion of grand theft after a woman’s phone went missing on Tuesday. According to the Burbank Police Department, the woman had set her phone down on a bench before the theft took place.
The woman told police she didn’t initially notice the device was gone or who had stolen it.
Sgt. Derek Green, a spokesman with the department, said the woman was able to track her phone 2 miles away near Verdugo and Virginia avenues.
Authorities went to the location and found another pair of Burbank police officers conducting a traffic stop seemingly unrelated to the theft, according to Green. The driver was suspected of committing a red light violation and had a suspended license.
He was eventually identified as Romero and his car was impounded.
During a search of the vehicle, Green said officers found the woman’s stolen phone in the car’s center console.
Twitter: @Andy_Truc
