A 20-year-old woman used her Apple Watch to call for help while being held at gunpoint during a burglary, a bold move that potentially led to the robber’s arrest.
NorthJersey.com reports that an unnamed woman in West Milford, New Jersey, was able to send an emergency SMS using her Apple Watch. A home invader had taken her hostage and rummaged through her belongings on Sunday.
Andrew Canning, 31 years old, was carrying an airsoft pistol. He demanded that the victim take off her clothes and that she not carry any weapons.
Canning stated, allegedly, that “This could either be easy or difficult.” “
After about an hour, the woman complained that she was cold. Canning had to handcuff her to a bed and asked her to call the police. It is unclear if these instructions were followed, or if Emergency SOS was used to generate this message.
Emergency SOS is a standard security feature in watchOS. It uses a paired iPhone or cellular connectivity on Apple Watch Series 5 and newer to automatically call emergency services and share the user’s location with them.
The message was sent to the mother, who was not sure if it was true. The message was sent to her mother, who went downstairs to check on her child. However, Canning stopped her and took $11. Police were able to spot him leaving the house, and they found the keys to his neighbor’s car.
Canning was charged with armed robbery, burglary, kidnapping, and aggravated assault. Canning also owned burglar’s tools, handcuffs, and other items.
Apple Watch’s suite of tools for monitoring your heart health is constantly in the news. The Emergency SOS feature in iPhone and Apple Watch is a highlight to stop crimes.
