Blind Joliet Man's iPhone Stolen While He Waited for Train

JOLIET, IL — A blind man from Joliet had his iPhone stolen from a man pretending to help him. Gary Jones, 49, said he was waiting at the Joliet Union Station to catch a train into Chicago when a man started talking to him. He was listening to music and as the train pulled into the station and drowned out the music on his phone, the man took off with it.

“I got into a conversation with someone hanging around who was also going to Chicago. There was nothing out of the ordinary,” Jones said. “I thought he was going to help me on to the train and he helped himself to my iPhone.”

Jones said at first he thought he might have dropped his phone. He also tried calling the phone and at first the phone rang, but on the second call it went straight to voicemail. Jones believes the person who stole it shut the phone off, which also left him without the option of using the “Find My iPhone” app.

Jones said he relies on his iPhone to help him throughout the day, especially Siri, the iPhone's virtual assistant who can be summoned with a push of a button or a voice command. The other day after his phone was stolen, Jones said he yelled out “Hey Siri,” forgetting that his phone was gone and Siri was no longer listening.

“She wasn’t there and I almost cried,” Jones said with a laugh.

But what really makes Jones mad is that he talked to the person who stole it about how much he relies on Siri.

“The mother----- knows it,” he said. “That’s one thing I learned. Don’t talk to strangers.”

Jones said the man also knew he was blind, and used that as an opportunity to steal from him. Jones is a musician and travels into Chicago a lot. His iPhone helps him get around.

“I told him that I used it for mobility, as well as radio,” he said.

Joliet Deputy Police Chief Ed Gregory confirmed the incident. Officers were called to the station at around 6:10 p.m. Sunday.

“There was only one other person sitting by him, but he was unable to be positive if there were others,” Gregory said.

Officers conducted a search of the area where Jones was sitting and were unable to find the phone or any witnesses.

Gregory said he was unsure if there are any cameras in the area that may have caught the crime.

Although Jones knows he most likely will never see his iPhone again, he’s holding out hope. In the meantime, he wants people to be careful about how they use their phones in public.

“If you’re blind or disabled, you’re a target,” he said.

photo via Shutterstock