‘Find My iPhone’ App Leads Police to Alleged Robber

Boston Police officers used a popular iPhone app Wednesday morning to track an iPhone, reportedly stolen in a Newbury Street shoe store, to its alleged robber in the South End.

At about 11:30 a.m., police, using the “Find My iPhone” app, first tracked the stolen phone to a South End bus stop, near the intersection of Washington and East Berkeley Streets. Soon after, they tracked the phone to the intersection of Fay and East Berkeley Streets, where they spotted a man who had also been at the bus stop.

Police then approached the man, 46-year-old Lonnie Raleigh, of Brighton, and asked to see his cell phone. Raleigh told police he had just found the phone and handed it to officers, according to police.

Raleigh was arrested and charged with larceny over $250 and receiving stolen property over $250. After his arrest, he admitted to stealing the iPhone from the shoe store, police said.

The “Find My iPhone” app tracks the location of an iPhone once installed. After the victim couldn’t find her phone after setting it down to try on a pair of shoes, she notified police and gave them her Apple ID information and password, which allowed them to track the phone.