Report: mystery men "impersonated" police in search for missing iPhone 5 (Updated)

Following Apple's loss of another iPhone prototype, a San Francisco man reported that a group of men claiming to be police officers appeared at his home and demanded to search it for the cellphone. One of the searchers gave him a card and a phone number which, according to SFweekly, reaches an Apple investigator by the name of Anthony Colon. SFPD denies working with Apple to hunt down the phone, and impersonating a police officer is a crime. Colon, according to his resumé, has worked at Apple only a short time; perhaps he will not be there much longer.

Update: SFPD now says it did help in Apple's investigation.

• [tor_berg]

  I think you should hold off on repeating anything published by the SF Weekly until it’s confirmed by a real news-gathering organization.

  “SF Weekly exclusive interview” = almost certainly hysterically overstated.

• [Gene]

  I think this all started as an attempt by the owner of the bar to get some publicity, and now it has taken on a life of its own abetted by bloggers and pundits who are desperate to feed the 24/7 internet “news” industry. I don’t believe there was ever a phone, that there is an Apple police force, or that any of this happened.

  • [Jonathan Badger]

    Considering that all the initial reports made sure to mention that the establishment where the prototype was supposedly lost was a “tequila bar” that served “shrimp ceviche”, rather than just a bar, it’s pretty obvious that it was publicity stunt.

    • [MrEricSir]

      Wait, what? How are these things related?

      • [Jonathan Badger]

        The irrelevant details of what the bar served, combined with the name of the bar in question (which I will not repeat, not wanting to give it free advertising), only served as an advertisement. They didn’t further any journalistic aim. That’s the relation.

        • [MrEricSir]

          “Journalistic aim”? Even if the original report had been true, you do realize we’re talking about a pretty irrelevant, stupid story here in the first place, right?

      • [Guest]

        They’re extraneous details, unless the goal is to draw attention to the restaurant. I know more about the restaurant now than I do the phone, apple, apple security, or the guy who ‘lost’ the phone.

• [Mark Dow]

  Linked In has a Tony Colon (I can’t say whether this phone number link is correct) with this self-description:

  I am a 26 year retired law enforcement professional who has recently joined Apple Computer as a senior investigator.

  Specialties

  Threat Assessment, workplace violence,
  expertise in domestic violence investigations, Police Internal Affairs,
  counter terrorism, site security surveys,executive protection, possess a
  high degree of emotional intelligence.

• [dalewynn]

  LOL. As if Apple staff are bright shiny citizens.

• [Stonewalker]

  Impersonating a police officer needs to be a serious crime.  People are murdered by men impersonating police officers.

  • [Guest]

    Lying about people impersonating the police is also a serious crime. How about let’s start there?

    • [SHeadius]

      Lying about people impersonating the police is also a serious crime. How about let’s start there?

       How so? Were they under oath? Impeding an official investigation? Lying is perfectly legal, and our society thrives on it as a matter of fact.

  • [Ethan]

    People are murdered by men who eat carrots, too!

  • [librtee_dot_com]

    Yes, but you see, murder is already a serious crime. So that would be wholly redundant.

• [atimoshenko]

  Is there any evidence that an iPhone prototype actually went missing? Until there is, all of this just looks like a publicity stunt by either the bar or Sergio Calderon. Remember the woman who found a finger in her chili?

  • [Guest]

    Nope. Zero evidence.

• [Ryan Griffin]

  cue the Apple-jack booted thugs..these things can go cereal if not nipped in the bud.

  • [Guest]

    Cue the over-reaction to Apple when there is no proof anyone did anything.

    • [That_Anonymous_Coward]

      Ok no proof…

      the SFPD spokesthingy said the police remained outside the home while apple private security tore through the house and computers.
      The police knocked and got the Apple private security into the home.
      The Apple private security threatened to have the man and his family deported, because if your brown you must be here illegally.
      The spokesthingy said if the man came forward then they would investigate the violation of his rights by the Apple employees and their police escort.
      Because we’ve never had a case of someone speaking out against a cop finding themselves getting tickets and harassed… or threatened with 75 yrs in prison.

• [Guest]

  That’s bullshit. Why should we believe anything this guy is saying?

  Pics or it didn’t happen.

  • [Dmitri F.]

    Pics and you’ll go to Jail for 75 years (at least in Illinois)!

• [Bottlekid]

  If he doesn’t have an iPhone, HE DOESN’T HAVE AN IPHONE!

• [Jadon Ulrich]

  Men In Black (mock turtlenecks)

• [Mister44]

  “Excellent! With Jobs out of the way, there is no reason we can’t all start hating Apple for being a mega-rich, evil corporation.

• [Snig]

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTPzTG1Lx60&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL08F8BBFF430E8B68

• [Bubba73]

  If it is a stunt then how did he get the contact details of an Apple security worker, and why did that security worker then delete his Linked In profile?

• [pupdog]

  The SFWeekly story has an update from 10 minutes or so ago saying the police now say they were involved, but no further details. I say let’s wait til we actually get some.

• [Rob Beschizza]

  Yeah, if CNET (?) got hoodwinked by the bar, that would be awesome.

• [snah]

  I wonder why there hasn’t been more focus on the phone being tracked to that house *and* the individual admitting to being in the bar at the time of the disappearance of the phone.  Setup?  Or someone at that house starting to smell fishy?

• [fivetonsflax]

  Sorry to go all meta, but I’m pleasantly surprised by the skepticism expressed in these comments.

• [EH]

  Well if this Colon dude really is an ex-cop, the SFPD is probably lying to cover his ass as a favor.

  • [Ivan Knezevic]

    Pun intended?

• [Ryan Griffin]

  I hope no one catches someone having sex with the Iphone in an alleyway..

• [i_prefer_yeti]

  WHERE THE HELL WAS JASON CHEN?!!

• [spacemanmatt]

  carpe cellulum, y’all.

• [Commodore Crush]

  Sounds like some officers just got some brand new iPads.

• [benher]

  Even police imitators, it would seem, are interested in Colonoscopy.

  • [Oliver Schmieding]

    when asked about his involvement, mr colon appeared somewhat irrigated

• [SG Ortho Clinic]

  Seems like someone is trying to just impersonate apple products

• [Sam Feinson]

  I’d like to take this moment to tell everyone to refuse consent to searches. By anyone. Ever. Even — or especially — if you haven’t got anything to hide. If the police are asking permission to search, it means they can’t. Just Say No.

• [derin devlet]

  if this guy was a cop for 25+ years, he would go around representing himself as a cop. thats his whole appeal as a security guy. They will get “helped out” along the way, easily getting things done, by other police, who think one day they may go into private security work when they get old. I work in security and thats how it works. Shoplifter punch you then ran off? got his plate? call so and so, hes your coworker, but is a retired sherriff. He ll make a few calls, and boom, you have your suspect identified. I guarantee you he knocks on doors and says he is a cop, and mentions the retired part while coughing into his hankerchief lol.

• [digdug001]

  I guess this means the cell phone tracking concept doesn’t really work?

• [yeahyeahwhtever]

  PR BS.

• [SomeGuyNamedMark]

  I was kidnapped by a UFO.  I said it happened so it must be true.  Please publish this.