AirPods help catch hit and run driver

The Martin County Sheriff’s Hit and Run Task Force used an Apple AirPod to help catch hit and run driver Peter Bradford Swing of Jensen Beach on May 24.

According to a Facebook post by the Sheriff’s office, Swing was charged with the hit and run crash on NE Savannah Road that injured a 15-year old bicyclist.

The teenaged victim, who was identified as Lachlan Nichol by NBC Miami, was wearing AirPods when he was hit by Peter Bradford Swing. Nichol hit the rear passenger window of Swing’s Silver SUV and one of the his AirPods fell inside the SUV and lodged under a floor mat.

Sheriff’s Deputies used Apple’s “Find My” feature, which shows the location of the AirPod on a map, to track down the SUV.

“When deputies went to the home, they noticed that someone attempted to conceal the silver Santa Fe involved in the crash behind the house,” the Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook. “Upon further inspection, the passenger side of the vehicle had damage and a smashed out back window as deputies suspected it would.”

Swing, who was inside the home when deputies arrived, said he expected police to show up at some point, and confessed to the crash. He told investigators he served prison time on drug charges in the past and fled the scene because he panicked.

According to the Sheriff’s office, Peter Bradford Swing was taken into custody and charged with Leaving the Scene of a Crash with great Bodily Injury. Nichol was treated at the hospital and released.

As of May 30, there have been 3,770 bicycle crashes this year, according to data from Florida Highway safety and Motor Vehicles.