Apple Watch helps identify Florida airport employee who allegedly stole woman's luggage

An airport employee in Florida has been arrested and a local reporter mildly assaulted, all in connection with an Apple Watch and a stolen piece of luggage.

Paola Garcia, a college student in Florida, became frustrated after her hard-shell pink suitcase went missing following a recent flight into Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Garcia told WPLG that she typically carries the suitcase on with her when she flies, but in this instance, Spirit Airlines forced her to check it.

The woman then became belligerent, grabbing Weinsier's ID tag from around his neck and striking him in the leg while crying for help and demanding to be 'put ... on camera.'

When her plane landed at the airport that day, Garcia told the outlet she waited at the luggage carousel for "at least two hours," watching as other passengers walked away with their luggage while hers was yet to appear. Garcia was especially concerned because inside the suitcase were several valuable items, including jewelry, a MacBook computer, and two Apple Watches.

A Spirit representative assured Garcia that her suitcase would soon be located and returned to her. "So I give my address to Spirit," she said.

The luggage never arrived at her address, but one of her Apple Watches did ping from another Florida address the following morning. The address was for a home just 15 minutes from the airport, Garcia claimed.

Garcia, still worried about her missing belongings, decided to drive over to the strange home in hopes of retrieving them. "I needed my computer," she explained. "I have a test that day."

When she arrived, she did not spot her suitcase. She did, however, notice several pieces of luggage strewn about the yard and immediately dialed 911.

Broward County deputies then arrived on the scene and after chastising her for putting herself in such a "dangerous" situation, they ran the address through an airport database — and got a hit. Junior Bazile, a 29-year-old employee of airport retail stores called Paradies Shops, lives at the home. He also happened to be working at the airport the day Garcia's property went missing.

Surveillance footage from the airport obtained by deputies as part of the investigation appeared to show Bazile rifling through Garcia's luggage before placing it in a clear plastic bag. Brazile was later arrested and charged with grand theft, which becomes a felony for items valued above $750, the New York Post reported.

Garcia's lost property has not been found.

Spirit Airlines has since issued the following statement: "We 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."

A spokesperson for the airport told WPLG that airlines are responsible for the checked luggage placed in their care.

Meanwhile, WPLG reporter Jeff Weinsier went to Bazile's home, hoping to get his version of events. Bazile was not home at the time, but his mother, whose name has not been given, chatted with Weinsier on camera for several minutes.

At first, she remained relatively calm as she firmly denied the allegations against her son. "The police come in here, and they don’t find nothing," she said, repeatedly pointing a finger at Weinsier. "Nothing in my house. Nothing in my house."

The woman's demeanor changed quickly, though, after Weinsier challenged her about the alerts from Garcia's Apple Watch. The woman then became belligerent, grabbing Weinsier's ID tag from around his neck and striking him in the leg while crying for help and claiming to be the victim of an attack. She even demanded to be "put ... on camera," though, of course, she had been on camera throughout their conversation.

Weinsier reported that the woman never asked him to leave. He later declined to press charges.

When Weinsier approached Bazile for comment at the courthouse a few days later, Bazile repeatedly ordered him to "go away." Whether Bazile has yet entered a plea in connection with the theft charge is unclear.

Paradies Shops declined WPLG's request for comment. The sheriff's office claimed the entire incident remains under investigation.

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