Police: Waterbury man utilized Apple device to stalk woman

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By Andreas Yilma Citizen’s News

NAUGATUCK — A Waterbury man faces stalking and other charges after police allege he used an Apple AirTag device to track his ex-girlfriend’s vehicle.

Wilfred Gonzalez, 27, was arrested Sunday and arraigned Monday in Waterbury Superior Court on charges of stalking, second-degree breach of peace and violation of a protective order. He was released on a $10,000 bond.

Naugatuck police were dispatched to a borough home Sunday for a reported domestic dispute. An investigation resulted in an officer finding the tracking device partially concealed in the center console of the victim’s vehicle, police allege.

Gonzalez filed no plea and is scheduled to return to court March 30, Waterbury Superior Court clerk Kent Roberts said Thursday.

The protective order against Gonzalez banned him from abusing, threatening, harassing or intimidating the victim. Due to his arrest, a full no-contact order is now in place, police said.

The AirTag, first released by Apple last year, is a small, circular device that costs about $30 and relies on a Bluetooth signal on the Apple network. It sends the location of a person’s AirTag to iCloud so it can be found on a map provided by the Find My app, according to Apple’s website.

Naugatuck police say the tracking devices have been linked to an increasing number of stalking incidents and vehicle thefts nationwide, but this is the first such case in the borough.