A Spirit Airlines passenger refused to stand by and do nothing after her suitcase, containing several Apple products and her jewelry, went missing.
Paola Garcia revealed that she had traveled from New York and landed at Florida’s Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport when she realized her small, pink hard-shell suitcase was missing.
Highlights
- Paola Garcia tracked her lost luggage to an address in Fort Lauderdale using her Apple watch
- The suspect, Junior Bazile, was caught on camera rummaging through Paola's suitcase inside a retail store at the airport
- Spirit Airlines stated they currently have no evidence of their employees being involved
Inside the suitcase were the young flyer's MacBook, two Apple watches, an iPad, jewelry, and her designer clothes.
While speaking to Local 10, the passenger revealed that she normally carries her luggage with her onboard without any issues. However, while returning home to the Sunshine State this time, the airline’s employees told her that she would have to check her luggage in.
A Spirit Airlines passenger, who landed in Florida’s Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, was alarmed when her suitcase did not arrive on the conveyor belt
Image credits: Forsaken Films/Unsplash
Image credits: Local 10
Once she was back in Florida, Paola made her way to the baggage carousel and kept an eye out for her pink suitcase. She began to panic when her luggage did not appear on the conveyor belt and waited “at least two hours” before giving up hope.
“In my mind, I’m thinking I need my computer because I go to the university, I need my computer no matter what,” she told the outlet.
The airline’s staff members assured her that they would find her suitcase and send it to her address. But things took an unexpected turn the next day.
While she was at home the morning after her travels, the university student said she received a notification from her Apple watch. And to her surprise, it was not coming from the airport but from a random address in Fort Lauderdale.
Paola Garcia managed to track down the alleged thief's address with a little help from her Apple watch
Image credits: Local 10
Image credits: Local 10
It was “fifteen minutes from the airport,” she said.
“So you decided to go to this house?” Local 10 News reporter Jeff Weinsier asked her.
“Yes, because I said how can Spirit deliver my suitcase there,” she responded. “Yes, because I needed my computer. I [had a] test that day.”
Using the signal from her Apple watch, the passenger tracked down the address and found herself at a house where suitcases were lying all over the place.
Paola then called 911 and informed officials about the situation.
“The first thing the police told me was like, ‘What are you doing here? This is so dangerous for you to be here,’” she told the reporter.
Investigators quickly found that a man named Junior Bazile, 29, was living in the house and was an employee at a retail store inside the airport.
The 29-year-old suspect, Junior Bazile, was caught on camera rummaging through the passenger's luggage while at the back of a retail store inside the airport
Image credits: Local 10
Image credits: Local 10
The Broward Sheriff’s Office said the suspect was working at the airport on the day Paola returned back home from Florida. Surveillance footage captured the man at the back of a Paradies Shops store rummaging through the very pink suitcase that belonged to the young passenger.
After taking out the student’s MacBook and other items, he was filmed placing the pink suitcase in a large, clear plastic bag.
The retail store employee had gotten rid of the items stolen from his victim’s bag by the time law enforcement officials arrived at this house. He was eventually arrested and charged with grand theft, opening up the possibility of him spending 5 to 30 years behind bars and paying fines ranging from $5,000 to $10,000.
Spirit Airlines released a statement to the outlet acknowledging the incident. They also said they are not aware of any of their employees being involved in the theft.
“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,” the statement said.
Paola said she believes the accused man, caught on camera with his hands on her belongings, did not work alone and might be part of a bigger ring.
“Personally, I don’t think it’s one person working in the airport, I think it’s a group,” she said. “One person can’t just do that, take bags.”
Spirit Airlines released a statement saying they are not aware of any of their employees being involved in the theft
Image credits: Local 10
In the middle of all these events, Local 10 News reporter Jeff also showed up at the suspect’s house and met his mother, who was initially willing to answer all his questions.
“The police come in here and they don’t find nothing,” she told the journalist. “Nothing in my house. Nothing in my house.”
When Jeff pointed out that the passenger’s Apple watch was pinging from inside her house, the mother turned aggressive and grabbed the reporter’s ID off his neck. She refused to give it back and started screaming for help.
The woman was also caught on camera striking the Local 10 News employee at one point but claimed she was the one being hit by Jeff.
Although the altercation was caught on camera, the reporter did not press any charges against the woman.
Only a few months have passed since two other airport employees in Florida were caught stealing from travelers’ luggage at Checkpoint E inside the Miami International Airport, according to the New York Post.
Two TSA (Transportation Security Administration) officers, Josue Gonzalez and Labarrius Williams, were caught on camera sieving through luggage belonging to passengers. The pair allegedly stole at least $600 in cash and other items while working at the airport.
Most people in the comments section agreed that the suspect who stole Paola's luggage could not have acted alone
