Apple’s crash detection feature led police to two teenagers who had been shot in a car in Georgia, authorities have said.
Officers responded to the collision alert, but found no signs of a vehicle accident when they arrived on the scene in Douglasville at 3:30am ET on October 12.
Instead, they found Beatriz Vega, 17, and Roberto Deleon, 19, in the front seats of the vehicle parked on West Stewart Mill Road.
The iPhone crash detection feature is designed to recognize ‘severe car crashes’ – which include rollovers and front-impact, side-impact and rear-end collisions – and connect users with emergency services, according to Apple.
It’s currently unclear what caused the iPhone to erroneously send out a crash alert.
But it’s possible that the sudden, forceful impact of a gunshot could be interpreted by the phone’s sensors as a severe car crash.
Vega and Deleon were transported to a hospital but later died from their injuries.
The iPhone crash detection feature is designed to recognize ‘ severe car crashes’ and connect users with emergency services
Police are currently investigating this case as a double homicide. Detectives have not disclosed whether they are pursuing a suspect, have identified a shooter or established a motive.
Officials have not released further details of the incident.
iPhones use several built-in tools to accurate detect a car crash, including a gyroscope, high-g accelerometer, GPS, barometer, microphone and advanced motion algorithms.
When the device detects a severe crash, it sounds an alarm and displays an alert for 10 seconds. A slider appears at the bottom of the screen that allows the victim to call emergency services directly.
If the victim does not interact with the iPhone within 10 seconds after displaying the alert, a 10-second countdown will start. When it ends, the device automatically contacts emergency services.
When emergency services picks up, the dispatcher hears the following message from Siri: ‘The owner of this iPhone was in a severe car crash and is not responding to their phone.’
Siri will also report the estimated location of the crash and a search radius.
But it’s not exactly a perfect system.
Other activities like riding a rollercoaster, suffering a hard fall or experiencing sudden, intense changes in movement – like driving over very bumpy terrain – have been known to set off this safety feature, triggering false-positive alerts.
For example, emergency dispatch has received several false-crash reports from King Island, an amusement park near Cincinnati, Ohio, as people have brought their iPhones on rides.
And earlier this week, the local fire department for Suamico, Wisconsin, reported that they have received false crash reports caused by people accidentally leaving their iPhones on top of their vehicles and then driving off, causing the phone to suddenly fall to the ground.
Other activities like riding a rollercoaster, suffering a hard fall or experiencing sudden, intense changes in movement have been known to set off this safety feature
It would appear that this type of false alert is what happened in the early morning hours of October 12, as there was no evidence of a crash when officers arrived on the scene of Vega and Deleon’s murder.
Detectives say they are actively tracking leads and reviewing evidence to determine the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
The Sherriff’s office has asked the public to disclose any information they may have in relation to the case. They can contact the lead investigator, Michael Aziz, at 770-920-3923 or by emailing maziz@sheriff.douglas.ga.us.
GoFundMe accounts have been set up for both Vega and Deleon’s funeral expenses.
Vega’s describes her as a ‘bright light’ who was ‘known for her kindness, laughter, and unwavering support for those she loved.’
‘Beatriz was taken from us far too soon in a tragic incident that has left all who knew her in shock and mourning,’ the GoFundMe reads.
