A thief in Texas managed to steal a pair of AirPods before being arrested, only for police to later release him while allowing him to leave with the electronic device.
The owner of the AirPods later shared a post online detailing the incident. He explained that the thief broke into several cars, including his own, and stole his gym bag, which contained his AirPods and a new pair of shoes. The thief also took two bags that the owner used to store his tools.
After the theft, the owner tracked the stolen AirPods and discovered that they were located at the Travis County Jail. He eventually learned that the thief had been arrested and immediately contacted the jail, where he was connected with the evidence-handling department. According to the owner, staff shockingly told him that he should come to the jail before the suspect was released if he wanted to recover his stolen property.
Despite going to the jail as soon as he was instructed, the owner said the thief was released and allowed to leave with the items he had allegedly stolen, including the AirPods. According to the owner, jail staff told him that “there’s nothing they can do” and advised him to file a police report. He followed their advice and ultimately filed a report detailing the theft.
“AirPods were at the jail all day, so I assumed they arrested the guy for theft and were holding everything he had with him. Now this morning I saw that the AirPods are in South Austin. I updated the report with the new address,” the owner wrote.
What Happened Next
The owner later provided an update on the shocking situation, saying that his AirPods pinged at EZPAWN on Ben White Blvd, a pawn shop. He called the store, and staff told him that someone had sold a pair of AirPods there on the same day. Unfortunately, the owner said he could not simply go to the shop and ping the AirPods himself to prove that they belonged to him. According to his account, the only option was for a detective to go to the pawn shop and place the AirPods on hold.
In another update, the owner said a detective met him at the pawn shop, allowing him to finally recover his AirPods. “The thief had another person with them who used their ID to pawn,” he added. The detective reportedly planned to contact that person and visit the house where the AirPods had been located earlier that morning. The owner also suspected that his tools had already been sold, as he had been unable to locate them. It remains unclear what happened afterward or whether the thief was arrested again.
Internet Users Shocked After Texas Thief Gets Away With AirPods
The post sparked reactions online. Internet users were shocked after learning what happened in Texas involving the thief and the stolen AirPods. Many struggled to understand why the jail allegedly allowed the suspect to leave with items believed to have been stolen. The unusual circumstances led some people to encourage the owner to contact local news outlets. “Honestly I’d consider calling KUT or KXAN at this point because that is absolutely wild and incomprehensible,” one person wrote. The owner later confirmed that he had followed the advice, replying, “I just sent the info over to KXAN.”
More people expressed shock at the situation while sympathizing with the owner over the difficulties he faced trying to recover his stolen property. “I’m so sorry. That really sucks. I don’t know why we even bother filing reports anymore. Nothing ever comes of it,” one person wrote. Another said, “This is for sure a job for local media. Thats such sloppy police work… from everyone involved.” Someone else added, “if i were you i’d call the police again and have them go with you to retrieve the stolen property. Actually infuriating that they couldn’t be useful even with the thief in custody.”
The incident also led to criticism over how police and jail staff handle suspects and property found in their possession. Some argued that mistakes in these situations could have serious consequences for victims, particularly when stolen belongings are mistakenly returned to a suspect instead of being held as evidence. The case also highlighted the importance of carefully documenting and securing property connected to theft investigations to avoid further complications for the owners.
