Windsor man uses Apple AirTag to track down stolen car

Saamer Mansoor had a more eventful Sunday morning than most.

He woke up around 6 a.m. to discover his car had been stolen out of his brother’s driveway and by lunchtime he had it back. He said he has a relatively inexpensive piece of technology to thank.

“It was pretty insane,” Mansoor said.

Mansoor said he decided to put an Apple AirTag in the car about six months ago, after hearing stories of how the small tracking device helped some in Toronto recover their stolen vehicle.

He didn’t think he’d ever need it though, always being careful to lock the doors and take precautions. Until a hectic Saturday led to a momentary lapse in judgement.

“I was taking care of my two-year-old son, who was extremely sick,” he said, describing the last time he parked his car before the incident.

“He’s crying and I can’t think of anything other than to comfort him and make sure he’s doing okay,” said Mansoor.

In that moment, it seems he left the driver’s side window open. And that was all thieves needed.

“The next morning my brother was headed out to the mosque and he called me and was like hey, where’s your car?” Mansoor said.

“So I was like where *is* my car? And I quickly opened the app and it showed me that my car was at (a motel) on Huron Church.”

Mansoor said adrenaline kicked in and he and his brother made their way to the location where the AirTag showed the car to be, calling 911 on the way.

Windsor police confirmed the details of Mansoor’s story to CTV News and say the investigation remains active.

He was able to retrieve his car and most of the belongings inside.

Mansoor said he hopes his story can serve as a lesson to others.

“It’s easy to not worry about things when there’s something bigger or there’s a family emergency and you don’t realize it,” he said.

“Just be careful.”