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Coachella festivalgoers find man with more than 100 stolen phones using “Find my iPhone” app

Once a phone is stolen, it’s easy to think that it’s gone forever. But a group of festivalgoers used their tech knowledge—and “Find My iPhone” app—to locate a phone thief who had taken more than 100 phones at Coachella.

They followed the snatcher around the festival venue “until he was detained by security workers,” the LA Times reports.

Read more: Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong wants phones put away at concerts: “Let’s have a human experience”

The thief, Reinaldo De Jesus Henao, was arrested on suspicion of grand theft and possession of stolen property, police said, the LA Times reports. They also note that several cell phones have been returned, with many more still left unclaimed.

With real-time updates and stories across platforms being such a big part of concert culture, it’s become even easier for thieves to spot and steal cellphones.

Some musicians have been vocal about their opinion on phones at gigs at all. Last summer, footage was shared of Slipknot’s Corey Taylor slapping a phone out of an unsuspecting fan’s hands. The attendee was front-row and looking at their device while Slipknot were mid-song.

Taylor later tweeted, “If you're gonna text, stay home,” and added, “It's actually funny—afterward, the dude TOTALLY understood the fuck up and we laughed together.”

Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong spoke in similar regards last fall. “Social media can be a very miserable place to be,” Armstrong said at a recent Q&A event in London. “At our shows I see lot of people holding up cell phones. You can look at a screen at home; you can look at your computer or your phone anywhere.”

What are your thoughts on the tech-savvy skills of the festivalgoers? Let us know in the comments below!

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