Disney Guest Turns Action Hero to Foil Thief

This is the stuff of adventure: a pastor from Pennsylvania notices his valuables have been stolen at Wilderness Lodge and uses technology, quick thinking, and a high-speed chase across Bay Lake to nab the thief.

- by Bob McLain, March 29, 2011

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At Disney, you don't often think of thieves. You don't expect your stuff to be stolen.

Of course, that's foolish: your stuff can be stolen at Disney the same as it can be stolen anywhere else.

Dave Longstreth: Disney Guest

Ask Dave Longstreth, a fellow Pennsylvanian, who was swimming in the pool at the Wilderness Lodge when his bag, containing two iPhones and other valuables, was stolen.

Dave raced back to his room and fired up Apple's Find My iPhone app on his laptop. Sure enough, he found his iPhone: it was still on resort property, at the dock.

Dave raced over to the dock, where he saw a shady character getting ready to board the ferry boat to the Magic Kingdom. It had to be the thief!

By this time, Dave had notified two Disney Cast Members, but despite their efforts and Dave's plea that the captain not set sail before Disney security arrived, the boat left the dock. The thief, amazingly, did not seem to notice the commotion.

Dave Longstreth: Action Hero!

Now comes the action part: one of the Cast Members hopped into a speed boat, invited Dave to join him, and they took off in pursuit of the ferry boat across Bay Lake, with Dave still tracking the bad guy on a borrowed iPhone.

At the Magic Kingdom, Dave pointed out the thief to Disney security, who checked the man's backpack and found - lo and behold! - all of Dave's property inside, his two iPhones beeping furiously thanks to a remote alarm Dave had triggered from the borrowed iPhone.

Dave pressed charges, of course, and Disney took great care of him and his family.

The Two Heads of Technology

Amazing, isn't it?

If it weren't for the app, and if it weren't for Dave Longstreth's resourcefulness in making use of it, he probably never would have gotten his stuff back.

Disney security also deserves credit for their efficiency and for their quick comprehension of how technology was doing their job for them.

Does this mean you can relax? Nope.

Thieves can buy jammers to block Find My iPhone and other locator apps. Which means, soon, programmers will have new apps to outsmart the jammers. And then...

There are many more fascinating details about this story that Dave Longstreth himself provides on his site. It reads like an adventure story, and I highly recommend it.

Don't stop there! More Tidings Await...