Search the Community

I had a pretty eventful few days that started with leaving my Q3 in a NYC taxi but ended with getting it back. I thought some might find this interesting, helpful, or amusing, especially the "AirTag skeptics." I spent last weekend in Manhattan with my college-age son, making it a perfect opportunity for street and travel photography with my month-old Q3. This past Tuesday, we took a cab to LaGuardia for our return flight to Boston. Going through security, I realized I'd left my camera bag in the cab. The black bag must have blended in with the floor mats. It was a sinking feeling—my Q3, an SSD with all my photos, spare batteries, SD cards, and all in an Oberwerth Q bag. The total loss was close to $8K after sales taxes. Here's where it gets nuts. I'd slipped an AirTag in the bag's purpose-made pouch a couple of weeks ago, so I could see that the bag was back in Manhattan. My son suggested we get a cab back to the city and try to track it down. After being turned down by one driver, we found one who agreed to take us on a wild goose chase. We monitored the bag's location on our iPhones and updated the driver. After 15-20 minutes driving around Manhattan, we realized a cab couldn't keep up, so my son got a Citi Bike to chase it. After half an hour, we realized the AirTag wasn't updating quickly enough. Defeated, we went back to LaGuardia, missed the flight, and I got another one back to Boston. I resigned myself to never seeing the camera again. At home, I monitored the AirTag and spent the last few days phoning and emailing NYC cab customer service. Without a receipt, all I remembered was the driver’s first name. On Tuesday, I noticed the bag at a large apartment complex in the Bronx overnight, probably where the driver lives. The next day, the AirTag was all over the city, including the Port Authority where we'd been picked up. I continued following up with the taxi commission but got nowhere. Last night, I saw the AirTag stationary in Queens for several hours. Zooming in on the "Find My" app, I realized it was at a taxi garage. I Googled the garage, found a number, and was told to call back at 7am today. To make a long story slightly shorter, the dispatcher at the garage had my camera! As a teacher on vacation, I was able to leave my home near Boston by 7:30, drive to Queens, and got back a couple of hours ago. None of this would have been possible without the AirTag. I left a nice tip for the driver and thanked the dispatcher for their honesty. I thought for sure someone would have tried to sell it at B&H. This restored some of my faith in the goodness of people, and hopefully, will help someone else find their lost Leica!