Apple Investigators Posed as Police in New Lost iPhone Prototype Search? [Update]

Earlier this week, it was revealed that Apple in late July had once again lost an iPhone prototype in a bar, mirroring an event that took place in 2010 ahead of the iPhone 4 launch. According to the report, Apple and San Francisco police tracked the device to a home in the Bernal Heights neighborhood of San Francisco and conducted a search, but were unable to find the device.

cava22 sf 0445
That account was quickly called into question yesterday after the San Francisco Police Department reported that it had no records of such an investigation. SF Weekly follows up with a new report today interviewing the man whose home was searched and suggesting that Apple security personnel may have posed as police officers during the search, a criminal offense. Alternatively, police officers may have improperly assisted in the investigation without properly documenting their work.

[Sergio] Calderón said that at about 6 p.m. six people -- four men and two women -- wearing badges of some kind showed up at his door. "They said, 'Hey, Sergio, we're from the San Francisco Police Department.'" He said they asked him whether he had been at Cava 22 over the weekend (he had) and told him that they had traced a lost iPhone to his home using GPS.

At no point, he said, did any of the visitors say they were working on behalf of Apple or say they were looking for an iPhone 5 prototype.

Calderón claims that he allowed the investigators to search his home and car and to examine a computer to determine whether the lost iPhone had been synced with it. Coming away from the search empty handed, the investigators reportedly offered Calderón $300 to return the phone and left a phone number for him to contact them if he could offer further information on the device.

As the visitors left, one of them -- a man named "Tony" -- gave Calderón his phone number and asked him to call if he had further information about the lost phone. Calderón shared the man's phone number with SF Weekly.

The phone was answered by Anthony Colon, who confirmed to us he is an employee of Apple but declined to comment further. According to a public profile on the website LinkedIn, Colon, a former San Jose Police sergeant, is employed as a "senior investigator" at Apple.

A San Francisco Police Department spokesman has expressed concern about the purported series of events, noting that the department will investigate the incident.

Anthony Colon's LinkedIn profile has been deleted but we've saved an image of it.

Update: SFWeekly now reports that the San Francisco Police did assist Apple investigators with the home search.

Popular Stories

Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's CarPlay Ultra Is Here – Does Your iPhone Support It?

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:17 am PDT by
Apple's recently announced CarPlay Ultra promises a deeply integrated in-car experience, but not all iPhone users will be able to take advantage of the new feature. According to Apple's press release, CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18.5 or later. This means if you're using an iPhone 11, iPhone XR, or any older model, you'll need to upgrade your device to access...
Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's 'CarPlay Ultra' Experience Now Available

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:07 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its next-generation CarPlay experience, now dubbed "CarPlay Ultra" begins rolling out today, starting with Aston Martin vehicles. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. CarPlay Ultra is now available with new Aston Martin vehicle orders in the U.S. and Canada. It will also be available for existing models that feature the brand's next-generation ...
CarPlay Ultra Climate Controls

Apple Says These Vehicle Brands Plan to Offer All-New CarPlay Ultra

Thursday May 15, 2025 8:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced the launch of CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. CarPlay Ultra features deep integration with a vehicle's instrument cluster and systems, built-in Radio and Climate apps, customizable widgets, and more. The interface is tailored to each vehicle model and automaker's identity, and drivers can also adjust...
vision pro video recording

WSJ: Some Apple Vision Pro Buyers 'Feel Total Regret'

Friday May 16, 2025 7:43 am PDT by
Apple's Vision Pro headset has left many early adopters expressing dissatisfaction over its weight, limited use cases, and sparse software ecosystem, according to a new article from The Wall Street Journal. In the year following the device's launch, user feedback suggests that it has failed to meet expectations for comfort, software support, and social acceptance. In interviews conducted by T...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Could Debut Advanced Silicon Battery Tech

Friday May 16, 2025 8:00 am PDT by
The upcoming all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air could become the first Apple smartphone to adopt advanced battery technology, with Japanese supplier TDK preparing to ship its new generation of silicon-anode batteries by the end of June. According to DigiTimes, TDK CEO Noboru Saito revealed in a recent interview that the Apple supplier has accelerated its production timeline, moving shipments...
fortnite apple featured

Apple Says Fortnite for iOS Isn't Blocked Worldwide, Just the U.S.

Friday May 16, 2025 9:58 am PDT by
Apple today clarified that it has not blocked Epic Games from updating the iOS Fortnite app in the European Union, but it is not planning to allow Epic Games to offer Fortnite in the United States App Store at the current time. In a statement to Bloomberg, Apple said that Epic Games tied its U.S. App Store submission to the update that was also being submitted to the Epic Games Store for iOS ...

Top Rated Comments

chainprayer Avatar
179 months ago
Sir, I'm going to need to see some ID...

... No, not your license. Your Apple ID.
Score: 36 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chrmjenkins Avatar
179 months ago
The plot thickens.



My theory is: we find the iPhone, we find Jimmy Hoffa's body.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chrmjenkins Avatar
179 months ago
Why would Apple, the most secretive company in the world, not contact the police who would make a police report?

hmm...

arn

Only one possibility: Apple is the zodiac killer.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iVoid Avatar
179 months ago
I'm going to email Steve and get to the bottom of this! Will report back after I get in touch with Steve. :mad:

Steve who? :)

You have to email Tim now. :)
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
arn Avatar
179 months ago
Arn, sorry for being Naive. But who is Anthony Colon?

read the article, and all will be revealed.

arn
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
arn Avatar
179 months ago
THis is really sounding outlandish. Either a). whoever runs Apple security is a numbskull, or b). this story is false.

Seems very unlikely a company security department would go out on a which hunt for a prototype. Why would they not contact police first? Makes no sense and when things don't make sense, they usually are not true.

Why would Apple, the most secretive company in the world, not contact the police who would make a police report?

hmm...

arn
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)