A quick-thinking Cedar Secondary student used a global positioning system application on her cellphone to help police locate classmates’ stolen purses during a Vancouver field trip last Saturday.
Madison Saunders, 13, was among a group of 20 music students spending the day at Playland at the Pacific National Exhibition grounds.
Seven girls in the group stashed their cell phones into bags and purses in cubbyholes while they rode a rollercoaster.
When the ride ended, the girls noticed their purses and bags had been stolen – along with their wallets and phones.
A witness spotted a young man make off with the purses before they disembarked from the ride.
“I went into silent shock,” said Saunders. “It took a while, then I just burst into tears.”
Then Saunders remembered she had installed the Find my iPhone application on her phone.
The free application, available from Apple to iPhone owners, gives users control over a lost phone to find it, remotely lock it and set a pass code, cause it to make a sound or remotely delete its data.
It can be accessed by another Apple device or a computer with Internet access.
Her friend, Jane Hawthornthwaite, still had her cellphone. They used it to go online and log onto the service used to locate the missing phone by GPS.
The girls tracked the phone immediately, and were able to trace the movements of her phone through the streets of Vancouver.
They contacted security, who got hold of Vancouver City Police.
Police used the girls’ cellphone to pursue the Madison’s phone, along with the other missing goods.
Police found the phone with a man who was hiding in bushes in the 3000-block of East Hastings Street. He was arrested and the stolen items were returned to the Cedar girls.
“I feel pretty good about it,” Madison said. “I’m proud that we got (him) and got the stuff back.”
Her mother, Holly Ebach, said it’s not unusual for her daughter to take charge of the situation.
“With Madison, she does like to do things on her own,” Ebach said. “She’s a feisty redhead.”
Carlos Monge, 19, of Vancouver was charged with six counts of theft under $5,000 and was held in custody.
He was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.
