NEWTON, N.J. (Sussex County) – A father put his tech skills to quick use last week, tracking down his daughter’s stolen iPhone and catching its thief red-handed.
At 7:43 p.m. October 26, Newton Police received a report of a suspicious male who was looking into vehicles in the parking lot of the Sonic Suds Laundromat, located at 110 Sparta Avenue.
The suspect was described as a white male in his 20’s with brown hair, scruffy beard and was wearing a flannel shirt. Patrol Officers arrived and met with the complainant who reported that his daughter’s Apple iPhone 6S, valued at $600, was stolen from inside his unlocked vehicle that was parked within the lot behind Sonic Suds, police said.
The complainant advised the responding officers that he utilized the ‘Find My iPhone’ app from his own Apple iPhone and was able to locate his daughter’s Apple iPhone after it emanated a sound which was heard coming from the area where a white male was sitting in the business, police said.
The complainant approached the unidentified male and asked him if he took his daughter’s Apple iPhone from his vehicle. The male suspect initially denied the allegation, but eventually produced the Apple iPhone in question from his pocket. The unidentified male suspect then fled the laundromat on foot, prior to the officers arriving, police said.
Subsequently, Detectives viewed the Sonic Suds Laundromat’s video surveillance which captured the incident and identified the actor to be Denis M. Schrader, 25, from Newton, police said.
On October 28, Schrader was located at the Quick Chek, located at 104 Sparta Avenue, and taken into custody without incident, police said.
Schrader was charged with third degree burglary and third degree theft of movable property.
“As always, Newton Police encourage residents to lock their motor vehicles when unoccupied and unattended,” police said.
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By: Jay Edwards
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