A man could not find his checked bag. Two days later, he tracked it back to the airport…where he found a homeless man laying near baggage claim wearing HIS clothes.
Homeless Man Found Laying Down At Atlanta Airport With Stolen Bags And Wearing The Content Inside
Jameel Reid arrived in Atlanta from Los Angeles on Delta and patiently waited for his checked luggage on the baggage carousel. But it didn’t show up.
That’s because he was too slow. Someone else grabbed it first.
But Reid wasn’t aware of that at the time.
He filed a missing baggage claim report. His bag had an Apple AirTag in it and he noticed–two days later–that his bag showed up at the airport.
First Reid summoned the police, then together they tracked down the suspect.
Then they found him. A homeless man. Wearing his jeans and t-shirt. And socks and shoes. Still laying in a corner of the airport with a luggage trolley and Reid’s bag (plus someone else’s bag).
@reidgocrazy It started Monday morning after I got off my plane i go to pick up my checked in bag from delta on the carousel, didn’t see it then, i check my airtag map and see its at grady hospital so in my mind im confused like why is it here, must be a mistake but it was accurate filed claim with delta and police and left to go back home. so then i take a nap woke up and seen it moved back to the airport. So in my mind im thinking ok someone must’ve brought it back or something then i go back to airport to see if its there and its 5 in the afternoon i check and its still not there so i go home again thinking ok imma give em the benefit of the doubt and let em find it. I go to sleep with peace in my mind woke up, seen the location had moved this time at the GICC Station. I got outta bed fast as life didn’t brush teeth or put on deodorant then i park my car walk down to the station took the elevator up to the 2nd floor and i smelled my cologne and knew i was in the right place. It took alot in me not to put hands on dude but i kept my cool called the police and the rest was history. If yall need a private investigator dm was not finna go out like dat. #fyp #foryoupage #viral #memes #atl #thief #xyzbca ♬ Lethal – Reidgocrazy
View From The Wing reasons:
I’d have had a hard time pressing charges against the thief and would have let him keep the shirt, pants, socks and shoes fully recognizing that doing so encourages the practice of luggage theft, since it’s a social problem I’m largely powerless to solve but at least don’t want to make worse at the micro level.
I would have taken my clothes back, even if I just threw them away. Why? Because not doing so does indeed encourage the practice of luggage theft. Jail would have been upgrade for this man so that does not appear to be the answer (maybe that is what he was looking for in the first place?)
CONCLUSION
A homeless man helped himself to another man’s bag, filled with designer clothes. But he never left the airport. Two days later, he was found…by the owner..and the police, then arrested. Not the sharpest tool in the shed.
And another win for the Apple AirTag. What a great game-changer.
Wow, are you sure that wasn’t your bag Matthew? I’ve seen you wear that exact same t-shirt. I like your style.
Air Tags are proving their worth day by day. Airlines can be held responsible for lost luggage, damages, or bag delays with just simply showing the locations of one’s bag, by showing the location history of the bag.
There but for the grace of God go I. Count your blessings and let him keep the clothes. It’s not going to encourage more luggage theft as it’s not the homeless doing the thieving .Air tags are a game changer
@Maryland… I agree that it’s a very sad story but to say “…it’s not the homeless doing the thieving…” How can you say that? How did this person end up with this stuff?
Have you given all of your possessions to the homeless yet? Come back here and let us all know when you do.
@CHRIS No I’ve not given all my possessions to the homeless. You’ve missed the point. But if I found someone sleeping on the floor, dressed in my clothing and in my shoes, I question who needs it more. I see no reason to ask for them back only to throw them away. Look CHRIS, I have plenty to be grateful for and I hope one day , you will as well.
@Maryland: I don’t understand your comment that “it’s not the homeless doing the thieving.”
@ Matthew. Only referring to your posts of the past year. The most likely theft would be from someone that has access. And okay perhaps I should have said it’s JUST not the homeless doing the thieving. Sure the man took the bag, but it was still at the airport, right?
“Someone that has access.” Are you aware that anyone can access a baggage claim? And that at some airports unhoused and homeless people are living inside?
Security all around airports but they don’t want the hassle of controlling access to the baggage area which is just a free for all. Decades ago I was asked for a claim check when I got my bags in LV but that was an easy 25 years ago otherwise no one cares.
There were people in Phoenix that were stealing bags for a while before they were finally caught.
Very sad story! I wish I didnt click on the the tik tok. Also see the “Alanna” typo.
@patrick Referring to Matthew’s posts this year. 1) FA steals bracelet from TSA line 2) The trans government appointed person repeatedly stealing luggage 3) gate agent going through bag (spirit?).
And the unlikely fact airport security will allow an un-homed camp inside to steal. I fear it’s most likely inside criminals
@Maryland.. “inside criminals”? What?
You mean others are taking the stuff and then giving it to the homeless guy sleeping inside the airport? Seriously?
@ Patrick Again referring to airport theft, I doubt the homeless are responsible for the majority of airport theft. Seriously
This is why you always lock your bag. While its a flimsy protection, it’s hopefully enough to have the thief move on to an easier target
Was there no CCTV in the luggage claim area??
Same person showing up repeatedly should be a read flag at the airport.
A bigger question is why are the homeless authorized to remain in what are supposed to be secure facilities: airports?
This incident gives me pause about ATL’s overall safety and security protocols if the homeless can wander freely amongst the baggage claim areas, walk off with luggage then squat in the terminals with the stolen goods.
The homeless problem is national in scope and has to be addressed by a more thoughtful approach than past practice but public transportation venues such as subways, bus shelters or airports are not a viable solution.
It runs into some tricky parts of law and ordinances, and a lot depends on who governs the airport and how the airport is classified, which can vary widely from private third-party terminal to run by a state government to a local commission, to a multi-county appointed board. Some airport terminals are state buildings and fall under the same guidelines as, say, a courthouse. Just about all are public places, and the legalities of what constitutes right to be in a public place (or if they can designate a limited public place like LAX just did) varies.
Some airports have the legal requirement that you must have business in the terminal to be there. A loophole in some of those is fishing a receipt out of a public trash can and saying “I do have business, I was a patron of Starbucks.”
I worked in one airport where the airport’s hands were tied by law and the only solution really was to try and make the place as unhospitable as possible to the homeless: campaigns to the airline employees literally saying “Do not feed the homeless” (some church groups would come in at night and hand out food… which the waste was usually all over the place the next morning), adding dividing bars to benches, replacing furniture with metal, capping over any publicly accessible electric outlet so no charging phones, significantly cutting down on trash cans, and even having to bike-chain wheelchairs (which makes it inconvenient for actual disabled passengers).
One thing that hasn’t been said but is true: Sometimes the homeless are airport employees. Positions that pay little and may live 3 hours away on public transportation and just stay in the airport during the work-week, or are flat out homeless. Those the airport can do something about and usually does, but they also tend to find places to hide inside the secure zone (so their stuff isn’t stolen).
Atlanta is atrocious for luggage theft due to set-up. It used to be worse. I worked for AirTran at one point and the transfer from MARTA to the now defunct Clayton County Transit Bus was to walk straight through the AirTran baggage claim out to the curb. People would casually walk along, grab a suitcase, and keep going. We ended up putting any light duty assigned ramp agent in a “SECURITY” vest and having them loiter all day, and set a competition amongst the baggage agents each day to collect as many inbound tags as possible by verifying IDs. I had baggage service agents tackle people on the sidewalk, and one time followed someone on MARTA all the way downtown. Now, that was not encouraged behavior by any means, but just showing this was an issue 10+ years ago too.
Other airports have similar issues. I worked in another large airport where a sizeable homeless population was in place, especially in the winter. They couldn’t be forced to leave (until COVID), and while you may offer outreach and services, they have to be a willing participant. It got to the point with not just luggage theft but homeless washing clothes in toilets, activating automatic flusher, and flooding bathrooms, plus having to replace nice benches with metal due to bed bug outbreaks. But, in this case changing the ordinance required the state legislature to rule and what elected official is going to vote to throw out those in need into the cold?
I know for a fact Atlanta has outreach in the airport and they do try, but unless or until a crime is committed, everything is completely voluntary – and in the instances where someone is removed, usually they are right back the next day.
I never seen homeless in the airport outside of US. Wondering why. Maybe because they will be kicked out immediately or not even allow to enter? US seems to be weak.
I appreciate @NEDSkid comment above. I’m honestly surprised this doesn’t happen all the time at ATL, or maybe it does. Baggage claim is easily accessible to everyone. I mean, you pass by it on the way to security from the rental car train. Anyone, not just homeless, could be stealing bags. If you arrive on a domestic flight to E (or even F), DLs 20m guarantee means your bags beat you to the carousel.
Sure he didn’t work for the Energy Department?
Many large -city airports are allowing the homeless to stay and camp inside of them-esp when cold… outside..As they do not want to have lose of their freedom in a shelter or 1/2 way house. There is so much $$$ put into homeless programs in large cities but they do not seem to work for the homeless and what they want. San Fran has a billion$$$$$ in taxpayer dollars to spend… and nothing changes…
The bag did initially leave the airport. View From The Wing: “so after 30 minutes he pulled out this phone and tracked the location of the missing bag which he’d left an Apple Airtag in. The bag was already outside the airport.”
The problem is that of the airline. They need to make sure that the right customer has the right bag. I hope this customer gets fully compensated for his property and any replacement he had to do. He either paid more for a ticket that included checked luggage or paid extra for it.
Pssst…
“Lying,” not “laying.”
😉
Round up the homeless and give them a job picking up trash along the interstate and railroad tracks.
House them in railroad cars and trucks with bunk beds . Feed em government cheese.
In most US Airports, the Airlines are not responsible for overseeing baggage claim and in many cases the carousels are shared amongst several carriers. In most Airports baggage claim is overseen and “secured” by the Airport Authority itself. Most do not want to pay employees to check baggage claim checks. As one commentor already posted occasionally an airline comes up with a solution of using light duty/mobility restricted employees to check claim checks however that is rare and also requires agreement from the governing body of the airport/Airport Authority where they exist. Often they refuse because then the public comes to expect that service to be provided, and what happens when all airline employees are healthy and they have no one on light or restricted duty? Many years ago I worked for a major airline, in a large airport in a large city. The airline had recently outsourced it’s baggage claim operations to a vendor and as someone else mentioned those were low paying jobs with no bennies, barely above minimum wage. My job literally was to stand in the baggage claim area and make sure the vendor employees weren’t rude to customers reporting delayed baggage and that the employees did not pilfer the Bags! We can debate about you get what you pay for and all that, but bottom line if airlines had to keep all the “nice to have” customer service style jobs filled, as opposed to allocating those resources to actually running the operation. the cost for those additional employees would trickle to to a huge hike is airfare. So as much as people complain about wanting these services to be provided, they are not actually willing to pay for them. The shambles the sirline industry is in today is all about costs and profit margins. There are many reasons for that and some are valid while others like greed and executive compensation maybe not so much. The end result is we all want to pay the least amount possible for airfare and unfortunately that has consequences that arent often considered. Bag theft is an old problem with a myriad of reasons and thus far no good solution has been found.
Part of the solution would be not having the access to baggage carousels to non-traveling public.