An airline passenger who lost her suitcase at the airport innovatively used her Apple Watch to track down her possessions - only to discover them in an employee’s property.
Paula Garcia had travelled on a Spirit Airlines plane in March and was waiting in the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport for her luggage to barrel down the conveyor belt.
However, after waiting by Carousel 4 inside Terminal 4 for two hours, she realised her hardshell pink suitcase wasn’t turning up.
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“In my mind, I’m thinking I need my computer because I go to the university, I need my computer no matter what,” she told Local10. “I was waiting there for at least two hours.”
After coming to terms that her bag must have gone missing before entering the hold, Garcia headed over to the Spirit Airlines desk to get some advice.
While speaking to flight attendants, she was allegedly told her suitcase would be sent to her address if it eventually appeared.
The morning after exiting the FLL Airport, Garcia realized she’d packed her Apple Watch inside of her suitcase and that it had started to send a signal.
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But she was shocked to learn that her bag wasn’t stuck at the airport and was instead situated at a home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
After receiving the signal from her wearable tech, Garcia opted to take matters into her own hands and travelled to the property.
She told the outlet that her reasoning was she had a ‘test that day’ and needed to pick up her computer.
However, when she arrived at the home, she allegedly saw multiple suitcases around the property and proceeded to call 911.
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“The first thing the police told me was like, ‘What are you doing here? This is so dangerous for you to be here,’” the woman recounted.
'Personally, I don’t think it’s one person working in the airport, I think it’s a group. One person can’t just do that, take bags.”
Following the incident, a police report reportedly obtained by the outlet claims that the man who lived at the address was named Junior Bazile, 29.
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According to public records from the Broward County Clerk's Office, Bazile was arrested on charged with grand theft in the third degree for allegedly stealing Garcia's suitcase on March 8, 2024.
In surveillance footage, dated March 3, Bazile was recorded taking Garcia’s pink suitcase into the backroom of the airport retail store where he worked.
A police report said that he took out Garcia’s Apple MacBook and other valuables in the backroom of Paradies Shops before placing the case in a clear plastic bag.
Bazile appeared in court for a status hearing on the charge and told Local10 to ‘go away’ when confronted about allegedly stealing the items.
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As per the outlet, Spirit Airlines said they have: “Issued a reimbursement check to the guest as a courtesy, even though we are not currently aware of any evidence that any Spirit employee was involved.”
“We take any allegation of this nature seriously, and we are investigating,” they added.
UNILAD Tech has contacted the Broward Sheriff’s Office, Spirit Airlines, and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport for further comment.