Bridgeport Man Accused Of Using Apple AirTag To Stalk Victim: State PD

BRIDGEPORT, CT — A 25-year-old Bridgeport man was arrested on a warrant charging him with electronic stalking, a felony, after Connecticut State Police said the suspect used an Apple AirTag to stalk a Connecticut woman.

Anthony Magro was arrested in West Haven on Wednesday, after state police spent months trying to locate him. He was released after posting a $10,000 cash/surety bond, and is scheduled to appear in Torrington Superior Court on Feb. 16.

The case began in March 2023, when state police Troop B in North Canaan was contacted by a woman, who said she found an Apple AirTag on her vehicle.

AirTags are small, circular tracking devices that people can place on keychains, in suitcases or in other places to help avoid losing something.

"Upon meeting the complainant at her residence in [Connecticut], the complainant informed the investigating Trooper that she had located an Apple AirTag tracking device on the interior of the front driver’s side wheel rim of her vehicle," authorities wrote in a statement. "The complainant explained that she had received an alert on her phone indicating that an AirTag device was moving with her, during the month of February 2023, but believed that the notification was generated due to a relative having left a set of Apple AirPods earbuds inside of her vehicle."

After the initial notification, the woman told state police that the vehicle had not been driven much, but she received a second notification about an AirTag moving with her in late-March.

"The complainant explained that on that same date, after searching her vehicle for approximately two hours with the assistance of a relative, an AirTag device was found attached to the inside of her vehicle’s driver’s side front wheel rim with an adhesive substance," authorities said. "According to the complainant, the AirTag was removed from the vehicle and secured in a plastic bag, which she transported back to her residence, prior to contacting Troop B. The complainant further explained to the investigating Trooper that these events had caused her to fear for her personal safety and that of her family members."

State police took the AirTag as evidence, and obtained a search and seizure warrant for subscriber information associated with the specific serial number on the device.

Last May, state police learned that the subscriber information was associated with Magro, whose last known address was in Torrington.

"The complainant indicated to the investigating Trooper that she was not familiar with and had no known interactions with Anthony Magro," authorities said.

State police tried to find Magro, but learned that he was no longer at his last known address.

A few days later, the investigating Trooper made contact with Magro, who said he was living in Bridgeport.

"When asked if he would be willing to meet with the Trooper, Magro explained that he did not drive and that he would need to arrange for transportation to meet with the Trooper before scheduling a time to meet," authorities said.

"Following the Trooper’s initial communication with Magro, multiple attempts were made to contact Magro to schedule a meeting. Each time the Trooper attempted to call Magro, the call was forwarded to a voicemail box, which identified the call recipient as 'Anthony Robert Magro Jr.'"

State police then learned in August that Magro was using a new phone number, and authorities tried again to contact him, but calls went to voicemail.

But through continued investigation, state police were to obtain an arrest warrant for Magro, were able to finally track him down in West Haven and arrest him.

State police offered some advice, if you receive a notification that a tracking device is nearby.

"If you receive a notification that a tracking device is nearby and believe that you may be in danger, please contact police as soon as it is safe to do so," authorities said.