A Spirit Airlines passenger who had her luggage stolen after her plane landed might have accidentally stumbled on a theft ring at thethe Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
In March, Paola Garcia was standing at one of the carousels in Terminal 4 waiting for her pink, hard-shell suitcase to come down the conveyor.
It never did.
That suitcase contained her MacBook, two Apple watches, an iPad, jewelry and designer clothes - all of which were later stolen,WPLG Local 10 reported.
'In my mind, I'm thinking I need my computer because I go to the university, I need my computer no matter what,' Garcia said. 'I was waiting there at least two hours.'
An airport employee named Junior Bazile, 29, was arrested in connection with the theft of Garcia's things, and charged with third degree grand theft on March 8, 2024, according to public records from the Broward County Clerk's Office.
Paola Garcia, pictured, had her pink suitcase stolen from the Fort Lauderdale airport. The next morning, her trusty Apple watch led her to the alleged location of her missing items
Junior Bazile, pictured in a mugshot, was arrested and charged with grand theft in the third degree for allegedly stealing Garcia's suitcase, which hadher MacBook, two Apple watches, an iPad, jewelry and designer clothes
Bazile was captured on surveillance video dated March 3 bringing Garcia's suitcase into the backroom of the airport retail store he worked at, Paradies Shops. He rummaged through its contents, even taking out her MacBook and typing on it.
Bazile did not work for Spirit, and its still unclear how he was able to get his hands on Garcia's suitcase.
A police report obtained by Local 10 says Bazile took out the computer along with other valuables out of the suitcase before placing it into a clear plastic bag.
Bazile's alleged brazen theft was all occurring while Garcia was at Spirit's help desk trying to get answers about the whereabouts of her things.
Garcia said Spirit told her they'd send her luggage to her house, so she gave the customer service agent her address.
Normally, this would be the end of the story, but things only get stranger from here.
Instead of getting her suitcase neatly delivered to her home, Garcia discovered the next morning that her Apple Watch was pinging an exact location.
Where? A house just 'fifteen minutes from the airport,' Garcia told Local 10.
Surveillance video obtained by the Broward County Sheriff's Office show the suspect, who they believe is Bazile, putting Garcia's suitcase in a plastic bag
This picture shows the suspect opening Garcia's laptop right in a back office of the airport
Desperate, she went to this Fort Lauderdale address - later revealed to be where Bazile lives - to retrieve her belongings. Garcia was particularly keen on getting her laptop back as she had a test that day.
Upon arriving, Garcia stumbled upon at least four suitcases just lying around the property. That's when she called 911.
'The first thing the police told me was like, "What are you doing here? This is so dangerous for you to be here,"' Garcia said.
The sheer number of suitcases there led Garcia to believe that there may bean organized luggage theft operation at the Fort Lauderdale airport.
'Personally, I don’t think it’s one person working in the airport, I think it’s a group,' said Garcia. 'One person can’t just do that, take bags.'
When confronted by authorities, Bazile had already gotten rid of Garcia's belongings, Local 10 reported. It isn't clear if her suitcase was still in his possession when the cops arrived.
Nonetheless, he was arrested and charged.
A snippet of this video recorded by Garcia, shows the numerous suitcases she found at Bazile's home when she followed the signal of her still-pinging Apple watch
In the left photo, Bazile is seen in court, appearing for the pending grand theft case against him. In the left photo, Bazile is dodging questions from Local 10 reporter Jeff Weinsier about his alleged theft of Garcia's suitcase
Several days after that, Bazile appeared in court over the grand theft charge he faces, pleading not guilty. When Local 10 reporterJeff Weinsier tried to confront him over what he allegedly stole from Garcia, Bazile repeatedly rebuffed him.
'Go away,' he said over and over toWeinsier.
Weinsier didn't get anything out of Bazile, but he got way more than he bargained for when he visited Bazile's mother, who lives at the same house where all of the suitcases where found.
As Weinsier describes it, he had a 'pleasant, cordial, seven-minute plus conversation' with the woman about Bazile's alleged thefts.
But he struck a sore spot when he brought up the fact that Garcia's Apple watch pinged from inside the very house they were chatting on the porch of.
Sitting down, Bazile's mother grabbed Weinsier and yanked his ID badge off his neck. When he tried to take it back, she shrieked at the top of her lungs.
'Help! Help! Help!' she screamed as the news cameras kept rolling.
She also assaultedWeinsier a second time, hitting him in the stomach and continuing to scream 'help me.'
According to Local 10,Weinsier declined to press charges against her. Police were seen handing him his ID back after the crazed encounter.
The encounter betweenWeinsier and Bazile's mother started off cordial, remaining peaceful for about seven minutes
The mother catches Weinsier off guard when she rips his ID badge off and wrestles with him
The mother, with the ID badge in hand, is screaming'Help! Help! Help!' over and over again
After the violent encounter, Weinsier is handed his badge back by a female officer.Weinsier declined to press charges against Bazile's mother
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) June 5, 2024NEW: Woman has meltdown and assaults reporter after a Spirit passenger’s suitcase with her Apple Watch inside was pinged to the woman’s house.
Paola Garcia says her luggage was stolen from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood airport.
When she was able to locate her watch, she was shocked… pic.twitter.com/aNiX0eDf64
Spirit Airlines told Local 10 in a statement that it reimbursed Garcia 'as a courtesy,even though we are not currently aware of any evidence that any Spirit employee was involved.'
An airport spokesman then deflected blame onto Spirit, saying that bags checked with airlines become their responsibility.
Interestingly, Spirit is reportedly one of the least likely airlines to lose your luggage on, with Southwest Airlines being the worst at properly handling customers' bags.
The arrest report doesn't explain how Bazile, who shouldn't have had access to flyers' bags, got his hands on Garcia's luggage.
DailyMail.com reached out to the Broward County Sheriff's Office for comment on the possibility of a organized luggage theft operation at the Fort Lauderdale airport.
