Man said his AirPods were pickpocketed in Paris. So he tracked the signal straight to an apartment door: ‘Not breaking and entering’

A TikTok creator named Calub Campbell said someone pickpocketed his AirPods in Paris and that he later followed the device signal to an apartment. In the caption on his video, he wrote, “It’s not breaking and entering if all the doors were open.”

On-screen text in the video reads, “When someone pick pockets your AirPods in Paris so u track them down to there apartment and take them back.” Campbell, who lists himself as 21 and from Northern Ireland on his profile, posted the clip as a storytime account of how he said he got the case back.

The video first shows Campbell on a street holding his phone up as if he is tracking a device. He is wearing a light-colored, short-sleeved button-up shirt over a white t-shirt, white shorts with a patterned hem, and white sneakers. He appears to look up toward a tree or something above him. Overgrown greenery and a building with a dark metal fence are visible behind him.

He tracked the AirPods and got them back 

The footage then cuts to Campbell standing in a brightly lit, white-walled apartment hallway. He stands in front of a white door marked with the number 18. He holds his phone in one hand and sunglasses in the other, then raises a hand to knock.

The last scene is shot from a first-person view looking down at the floor just inside an apartment entrance. Campbell’s hand is shown in the foreground holding a white AirPods charging case. In the background, the bare feet and lower legs of another person are visible. That person is wearing dark pants and a green shirt and is standing on a light wooden floor. Several pairs of shoes are scattered near the wall.

Campbell later replied in the comments that he had called the police first. He wrote, “Rang them and they said someone was coming… waited an hour and then I just decided to go in.”

The video does not show a conversation with anyone inside the apartment or explain how the case changed hands. It also does not identify the other person on camera. The case highlights how personal tracking devices can be used to locate items, as license plate cameras can now identify people by their AirPods and smartwatches. 

Campbell’s TikTok profile lists about 2,091 followers and 442,000 likes and includes the bio line “Bruno | Fiancé | Lifestyle,” along with an email address. The post uses the tags #paris, #pickpocket, #storytime, #fyp, and #viral.

Viewers responded with their own accounts and remarks under the video. One commenter said their AirPods were taken at a gym as well and described a different recovery. They wrote, “mine were stolen at the gym also. cleaning lady pocketed them… i tracked her down, found out which company she works for and then called her boss. was able to pick them back up at the gym the day after.”

Another commenter compared the clip to police work, writing, “more accomplished than French police.” Campbell, posting as the creator, replied with the line about calling officers, waiting an hour, and then going in. A third commenter focused on the risk, writing, “Risking your life for AirPods is wild.”