Thieves Rob Apple Store in Massachusetts and Get Away With $13,000 Worth of iPhones - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Thieves Rob Apple Store in Massachusetts and Get Away With $13,000 Worth of iPhones

by

A group of seven individuals robbed an Apple retail store in Natick, Massachusetts on Tuesday, managing to get away with a total of 19 iPhones worth more than $13,000 (via AppleInsider). The "organized pack of thieves" is believed to be comprised of young teenagers and potentially connected to a similar crime in the nearby town of Hingham.

In a video posted on the Natick Police Department's Facebook page, the group of seven is seen walking into the mall where Apple is located, and eventually gathering around one of the iPhone display tables. In "less than a minute," the group had organized and grabbed 19 iPhones from the table and made a beeline out of the store and from the mall, without authorities being able to stop them.

apple_store_graphics_june14
The Natick Apple location still carried security tethers on the iPhones -- a feature Apple is beginning to eliminate -- and the group "grabbed iPhones from the chargers and tore them away from the security cord that secured them."

On Tuesday, the group of seven walked into the Apple Store at the same time. Less than a minute later, they all grabbed iPhones from the chargers and tore them away from the security cord that secured them. “We’ve been hearing about this,” said police spokesman Lt. Cara Rossi. “They’re traveling in packs. They brazenly walk in together and steal.”

None of the suspects have yet to be identified following the robbery. Recently, a collection of Apple retail locations in New York City were targeted by criminals who dressed up as Apple employees to gain access to the store's devices. One individual managed to steal $16,130 from Apple SoHo in June, and a similar string of thefts in the Upper West Side in March added up to $50,000 in stolen iPhones.

Top Rated Comments

keysofanxiety Avatar
123 months ago
And 5 minutes later every one of those iPhones became worthless for anything but parts, and are probably tracking the thieves.
Yep. What's their next target? Stealing a bunch of ankle monitors from their local police station?
Score: 36 Votes (Like | Disagree)
keysofanxiety Avatar
123 months ago
Bunch of idiots. The phones will be immediately blocked. Plus don't the in-store phones run a slightly different version of iOS, which is for demo purposes only?

Anyway, hopefully they'll get caught pretty shortly.
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
123 months ago
And 5 minutes later every one of those iPhones became worthless for anything but parts, and are probably tracking the thieves.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
123 months ago
And then Apple deactivated them remotely thus leaving the thieves with a handful of paper weights.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sunapple Avatar
123 months ago
They're better off stealing Watch bands; not traceable and you can carry lots with you in a bag or something. And let's be real, everyone loves Watch bands.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
69Mustang Avatar
123 months ago
And not one person attempted to stop them? What the hell is this world coming too? Amazing, even though the devices are worthless too them after leaving the store.
Why would someone try to stop them? You don't risk yourself and other people to save some phones that don't belong to you. Heck, retail employees are typically told to not stop things like this to avoid possible injury. It's a gadget. There are more of them. Not worth someone getting hurt over.
[doublepost=1477052866][/doublepost]

If these kids were smarter...
There's your answer right there.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.4 Adds Two New Features to CarPlay

Tuesday March 24, 2026 1:55 pm PDT by
iOS 26.4 was released today, and it includes a couple of new features for CarPlay: an Ambient Music widget and support for voice-based chatbot apps. To update your iPhone 11 or newer to iOS 26.4, open the Settings app and tap on General → Software Update. CarPlay will automatically offer the new features so long as the iPhone connected to your vehicle is running iOS 26.4 or later....
Apple Business hero

Apple Unveils 'Apple Business' All-in-One Platform

Tuesday March 24, 2026 8:53 am PDT by
Apple today announced Apple Business, a new all-in-one platform that unifies device management, productivity tools, and customer outreach features. The service is designed to be a consolidated replacement for several of Apple's existing business-focused offerings, including Apple Business Essentials, Apple Business Manager, and Apple Business Connect. It provides organizations with a single...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Tuesday March 24, 2026 12:31 pm PDT by
Apple today released new firmware for the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and the AirPods 4. The firmware has a version number of 8B39, up from 8B34 on the AirPods Pro 3, 8B28 on the AirPods Pro 2, and 8B21 on the AirPods 4. There is no word on what's included in the firmware, but Apple has a support document with limited notes. Most updates are limited to bug fixes and performance...