Man insisted a $25k camera bag was his after being confronted 2 stations away — then the missing camera pinged from his backpack
Haisch opened the bag to check and found one camera missing
Most people freeze after losing their belongings on a commute. Something similar happened to photographer Benj Haisch (@benjhaisch), except he refused to sit back and do nothing. When he lost his bag with his camera gear worth a whopping $25,000, he didn't panic. Instead, Haisch tracked down the camera using its tracker. Soon enough, he found it, and also the two guys who had stolen it from him. The video posted on August 16, 2026, has received over 12 million views on Instagram.
Technology to the rescue
When Haisch realized he'd lost his bag, he immediately opened the Find My app to track it down. "It just goes and shows that it is about two or so miles away. So I run to the back door and tell my wife and kids, 'I think I might've found it; I'm leaving immediately,'" he recounted. Haisch took a Metro for two stops and continued following the tracker. He explained that the location kept updating, and as he looked around, he finally spotted his bag with strangers.
Awkward interrogation
When Haisch found the men who'd stolen his bag, he didn't fight with them. Instead, he approached them peacefully and explained that the bag they were looking through was his. However, the men refused. "It's not your bag," they told Haisch. Pissed, the photographer then cross-questioned the thieves: "What kind of cameras are in there?" One of them said, "Hasselblad." However, that was probably their biggest mistake, as Haisch then bombarded them with a ton of camera-related questions. Naturally, they gave in and handed him the bag. Haisch immediately opened it to check, but found one camera missing.
Haisch then politely asked the thieves to give up the other camera as well. At first, they hesitated, thinking they could get away with at least one, claiming everything they found was in the bag. What they didn't know was that Haisch also had a tracker on that camera. "I have it right here. I literally followed you," he warned them. Sure enough, it was in one of the thieves' bags, as they handed it to Haisch. In his post, the photographer, however,
Rising use of trackers
The incident emphasizes the importance of using trackers on bags and other goods that people want to protect. Although it can't guarantee that the goods won't be stolen, it increases the chances of recovering them. In fact, a survey by travel site Kayak (cited by AppleInsider) found that 37% of Americans had started using AirTags or similar devices while flying. This has significantly helped them avoid losing their stuff and has significantly boosted the recovery rate for lost bags.
'Why didn't you call the cops?'
Meanwhile, even the people (in the comments) agreed that having AirTags or similar devices is a blessing. For instance, @jose_carvajal noted, "AirTags are probably the best thing Apple gave us in the last 10 years." At the same time, @timberhandstellico said, "Your restraint needs to be studied." @mangoe39 shared, "Call the police, hello? Why are you letting them get away."
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