A mother used the Find My app on an iPhone to help police track her nine-year-old son, who had been taken during a carjacking, according to the Atlanta Police Department. They issued a statement about the dramatic rescue on their Facebook page on Wednesday, April 6.
The police department said that Jerrica Moore had pulled into a parking lot on Monday morning and gotten out of the car, but she left her vehicle running with the keys in the ignition and her child still inside. A man saw this as an opportunity for a carjacking, jumping into the vehicle, and driving off with Moore's son still in the car.
Fortunately for Moore, technology was there to help her on that day, as she used the Find My iPhone to get the GPS coordinates on her son's iPhone, which he had with him in the car, according to the Atlanta police.
Atlanta Police credit Moore for getting GPS information
The Atlanta Police Department paid tribute to the Atlanta mom for her quick thinking.
"Ms. Moore was able to track her son's iPhone using 'my location' and relay real-time tracking information to officers." Atlanta Police got some help from the Georgia State Patrol (GSP), Fulton County PD, and the Fulton County Sheriff's Office, with the law enforcement officers responding and using the tracking information Moore provided to locate the stolen vehicle.
Atlanta Police said that with the GPS information, they were able to locate the car, the suspect, and Moore's son all within an hour of the vehicle being stolen, based on bodycam footage that the department released.
The Atlanta Police Department added that they are happy to report the child and his mother have been reunited. ABC News reported that the police took the latest incident as an opportunity to remind the community once again to lock their vehicles and remove all valuables, including their children, when exiting their cars.
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Carjackings with kids still inside the vehicle on the rise
That reminder is timely, with experts saying that carjackings involving children have been on the rise lately. Callahan Walsh, a child advocate at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, said that they had seen carjackings with children in the back increasing, whether the carjacker knew the child was in there or not. He added that 34 Amber Alerts were issued last year on carjackings involving a child.
Walsh said technology like the Find My app on iPhones is a vital tool in solving such carjackings, saying that feature is one of several ways to help locate a missing child. Walsh said that what parents should be aware of at this time is that if they have an old cellphone, they can give that to their child. He explained that even if the phone does not have a data plan anymore, it can still dial 911.
Apple said that the Find My app is also available on iPads, and Mac computers, and the feature could help users locate iPads, iPhones, iPod touches, Macs, Apple Watches, AirPods, and AirTags.
