A Florida roofing contractor had a secret weapon that led to the arrest of a thief who stole $4,000 in materials from a jobsite.

In Lee County, Fla., Roof Tile Specialists were working on two construction sites in the Verdana Village Community in Estero. According to ABC-affiliated WZBN-TV, the contractors were aware of material thefts happening in the area, so one intrepid roofer put Apple AirTags in a roll of Polyglass. AirTags are small tracking devices developed by Apple that can be located using the Find My network.

When the roofing company discovered multiple rolls of Polyglass products were missing, they contacted the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. The operations manager and a detective used the AirTag to track down the missing materials, leading them to a home in Buckingham. The rolls could reportedly be seen on a lanai – an open-air, roofed space attached to the home.

Deputies arrested Leonel Duarte, 44, at the home. He is charged with stealing 40 rolls of Polyglass, valued at $4,000. It appears this wasn’t Duarte’s first time stealing rolls – according to WZBN-TV, a total of 51 rolls were found at the home.

The rolls were eventually returned to Roof Tile Specialists. According to arrest records, Duarte was released on July 31 after posting a $5,000 cash bond. A court hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 2.

A call to Roof Tile Specialists for further details was not returned as of the article's publication.

This isn't the first time roofing contractors have turned to Apple's tracking device to recover stolen goods. In 2022, Oklahoma-based Stronghold Roofing used AirTags to locate stolen materials in the possession of a competitor. 

Should other companies want to track their materials, Stronghold Roofing encourages contractors to purchase tracking devices, label them and take photos of the materials corresponding to the device before each job. This establishes a record of their materials, which is helpful when tracking down stolen goods.