MAKING TRACKS
‘It’s my pride and joy’ – my car was stolen but I was able to track it down within an hour thanks to hidden device
He was able to find it on his phone
A DRIVER has revealed how they managed to track down their "pride and joy" car within an hour of it being stolen using a hidden gadget.
Paul Conway was left devastated when his Nissan Pathfinder was pinched in seconds by opportunistic thieves.
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The car was being driven by one of his employees, but they left it running outside their home while they popped in.
Within moments, a crook had jumped behind the wheel and driven off with the car.
Paul, 46, was left shaking with rage but, fortunately, remembered a way he could locate the stolen motor.
He recalled: "I couldn't believe it as the car is my pride and joy.
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"I was just sat there shaking and I remembered I had the AirTag in my car."
AirTags are small disc-shaped devices produced by Apple, with equivalents available from other manufacturers.
They connect to the owner's phone via Bluetooth and emit a location signal, allowing the user to track whatever the tag is stuck onto.
Paul's wife Angela had bought him a set of four for Christmas and he suddenly remembered that he had put one inside the SUV's bodywork.
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A quick check of the app revealed the car was heading out of his home town of Leeds and over to nearby Bradford.
The stunned driver added: "I just thought I would use [the AirTag] if I parked somewhere and forgot where but I never thought it would get stolen.
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"We followed the signal and phoned the police, who offered to drive me around looking for it.
"It was just there, hidden on a quiet residential street.
"I couldn't believe it.
"I knew he left the keys on the seat so it wouldn't have been insured."
Paul is now encouraging other drivers to take similar precautions.
And it may be just the time to do it, as the latest figures reveal that car thefts hit an all-time-high in 2023.
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West Yorkshire Police confirmed that a report of a stolen car had been made on March 4 and that it was found "shortly after" in Bradford.
No suspect has yet been identified.
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