Smartphone snaps photo of suspected thief
A subway commuter boarded the southbound "R" train and realized he was no longer in possession of his cell phone. The commuter used a cell phone application that enabled him to view a photo of the person in possession of his phone. (Oct. 15, 2013) Credit: NYPD
An owner of a stolen smartphone equipped with an anti-theft app is receiving help from the NYPD to track down the suspected thief.
The NYPD Sunday released the stealth photo of the suspect taken by a Samsung Galaxy phone equipped with an app that takes a photo of a person trying to gain access to a lost or stolen phone.
The owner told police he realized his phone was missing after boarding a southbound R train near the 25th Street stop in Brooklyn on Oct. 15.
An NYPD spokeswoman said there was no information about how the suspect came into possession of the phone.
The NYPD has been encouraging smartphone users to enable anti-theft technology amid a spike in thefts and to register their devices with the department for free.
-- amNEWYORK