Finding Garrett’s Macbook: How an App Could Solve a Theft

A Fargo man says his Mac laptop was taken after someone broke into his car this week.

And now he says he might know where it is.
 
Using a smartphone app, he was able to make his Macbook send out a GPS signal pinpointing where it is.

But it wasn’t enough evidence for a search warrant.
 
It was Garrett Anderson’s birthday on Monday.

He stopped by many places around town to celebrate the occasion.

But it wasn’t until he got home when Anderson noticed something was wrong.
 
“I was getting ready to go to bed, and I figured, ‘yep, I gotta grab my computer so that way it’s not in my car so it doesn’t get stolen,” Anderson said.
 
Anderson says the backpack in his backseat wasn’t there.
 
“Opened my door and realized my bag wasn’t there. Went upstairs thinking, ‘oh, maybe I just left it at work.’ Went back to work and checked there and… it wasn’t there,” Anderson said.
 
He says he’s not sure what part of town the alleged break-in happened.
 
“I’m a big stickler for locking my car,” he said.
 
But using the app, Find my Mac, his computer sent out a GPS signal which showed it could be inside a south Fargo apartment building.

He was also able to remotely protect his computer with a new password.
 
“Oh, it’s locked down,” Anderson adds.
 
He contacted Fargo Police for help, but they told him that evidence is not enough for a search warrant.

But Anderson says police were still able to help.
 
“The most they could do is help me knock on the doors and if people answered, they answered, and if they said, ‘yep, you can look around,’ we could look around, but only one person was there,” Anderson says.
 
Luck was not on his side.

They didn’t find his stuff.

Anderson says they were able to pinpoint what part of the building the GPS signal came from, but the simple fact that it’s an apartment building severely complicates the search.

They don’t know which specific room it’s in, or even what floor.
 
“Honestly, if the person wants to tell me how they got in, I’m just interested to know that,” Anderson says.
 
Find my Mac is no longer able to locate Anderson’s computer since it’s now turned off.

But the app is designed to let him know next time it’s turned on.

Fargo Police remind people to keep values out of your car and remember to always lock your vehicle.