A Waco, Texas man who allegedly installed an Apple AirTag on a woman’s car to track her has been arrested, according to reports.
KWTX in Waco reported that 39-year-old Hugo Mendez is charged with unlawfully installing a tracking device.
In a court affidavit obtained by the station, police allege a woman began getting AirTag notifications on her phone on Aug. 14, 2023.
The woman told police she did not own an AirTag and became suspicious about the notifications.
Hugo Mendez is accused of placing an Apple AirTag under a vehicle to track down the owner. (McLennan County Jail)
After searching for an AirTag device near her, she eventually found a magnetic box attached to the underside of her vehicle, the affidavit alleged.
Inside the metal box was an Apple AirTag, which is a tracking device meant to keep track of personal belongings in the event they are lost. Since being introduced into the market, the nearly quarter-sized devices have been used for nefarious purposes, such as tracking would-be victims.
After learning about the findings, police obtained a subpoena and served it to Apple, later finding out that the tracker belonged to Mendez.
A Texas man allegedly placed an Apple AirTag on a woman’s car to track her. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Police called Mendez and he allegedly admitted to placing the device on the woman’s vehicle, the affidavit says.
The affidavit also stated that Mendez told police he thought the woman hit his vehicle and fled the scene. So, he followed the vehicle in order to find out who was responsible, the station reported.
After following the vehicle, Mendez allegedly told police, he waited for the driver to return to their car, but they never did.
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Apple AirTags can be used to track a lost item. (Apple)
Instead, he put the AirTag into a magnetic box and attached it to the vehicle, the court document alleges.
The McLennan County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to requests seeking additional information about the allegations against the suspect.
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Mendez was ultimately arrested and held in the McLennan County Jail on $2,000 bond.
