Airport Employee Arrested After Traveler Tracks Down Stolen Luggage To His House Using THIS!

A Spirit Airlines passenger took matters into her own hands recently after her luggage was seemingly lost… But turns out it was actually STOLEN!

During an interview with WPLG Local 10 posted on Tuesday, Paola Garcia explained that she recently traveled from New York to Florida with several pricey Apple products. In her suitcase, she carried a MacBook laptop and two Apple Watches. Now typically, she’d always bring the carry-on-sized luggage on the plane with her, but this time around, Spirit Airlines employees apparently informed her that she had to check the bag. So, she complied, and when she arrived at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in FL, she waited, and waited, and WAITED at the baggage claim carousel for her suitcase to come around. But it never did.

After “at least two hours,” Paola spoke with Spirit employees who assured her that when her luggage was found, it would be shipped to her house. But a day later, she got a ping from one of the Apple Watches in the suitcase… About 15 minutes away from the airport!

So, being a college student in NEED of her laptop, she told the news outlet that she followed the ping, eventually arriving at someone’s home. She then called the Broward Sheriff’s Office to fill them in. They sent deputies, and when those officers arrived, they found 29-year-old Junior Bazile — who was an employee at the Paradies Shops at the airport! OMG!

Cops scolded Paola for taking matters into her own hands as it could have been a “dangerous” situation, but they were ultimately able to confirm that Junior was indeed working the day Paola’s luggage went missing. But sadly, he’d already gotten rid of the majority of her belongings.

An investigation was launched, and security footage showed the suspect going through Paola’s suitcase at the airport. He has since been charged with grand theft, which is a felony offense in Florida if the stolen items are valued to be more than $750. If found guilty, he could serve a max of 30 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.

Yikes!

But Paola thinks the mystery goes deeper! She told the outlet that she believes “a group” of thieves is working together at the airport, and those people helped Junior get ahold of her luggage — as it’s not exactly clear how he did get it in the first place. Ultimately, Spirit Airlines did reimburse Paola for her stolen items. They said in a statement:

“We issued a reimbursement check to the guest as a courtesy, even though we are not currently aware of any evidence that any Spirit employee was involved. We take any allegation of this nature seriously, and we are investigating.”