Internet Community Strikes Down Xbox 360 Thief With Great Vengeance and Furious Anger
Posted by Jonathan on Monday, March 24th, 2008 at 3:21 pm under Gamer Life, Game Related Laws, Microsoft, Game Consoles
Tagged: Digg, justice, Law, philadelphia, stolen, thief, xbl, XBox and Xbox live
Sit down, kids; it’s story time.
On March 12, Jesse McPherson returned from his trip to SXSW only to find that his home in Philadelphia had been burglarized. The thief made off with his TV, an old Powerbook, and his Xbox 360. Naturally, he was upset, so he took it upon himself to call up some local pawn shops in the area to see if anyone had come in trying to hock his stuff.
As luck would have it, the first place he called remembered a young man who tried to sell a Powerbook that had a few quirks similar to McPherson’s. So he went down there and snapped a couple shots from their security feed of the guy trying to sell the laptop. He contacted the police and told them he had pictures of the thief, but he never heard back from them. Meanwhile, this past Friday, his co-workers surprise him with a brand new Xbox 360 console.
Now here’s where things get really interesting. That night, McPherson goes home, hooks up his new gift, and recovers his Xbox Live account. The first thing he notices is he’s received a voice message from some random person. As it turns out, it’s the thief, who explicitly says he’s got the Xbox and offers to sell it back to him. McPherson calls the police, and the person on the other end tells him to call back during normal operating hours and then hangs up on him (note to self: never ever move to Philadelphia). Left with nowhere else to turn, McPherson did the only thing he could think of and posted the thief’s Xbox Live account on the internet. His story got picked up by Digg and within a few hours the internet community managed to uncover the thief’s name, address, high school, e-mail, phone number, etc. and even put together a wiki page to compile all of it.
Then he pretty much started getting harassed through AIM, a YouTube video, and probably every social site he’s ever subscribed to almost constantly. By Sunday, the kid actually shows up at McPherson’s house and gives him the laptop back. No word yet on the Xbox, but McPherson has said he will be in contact with the kid’s parents soon. I also have a feeling the kid will be giving up the Xbox soon, since his account’s bio now reads: “mY eFFinG xBoX brOkE sO i WoNt bE oN fOr aWhILe iF u NeEd Me SEnD mE a MeSsAgE aS lOnG aS iT aiNt vOiCe I wiLl GeT iT.”
There’s really no justice quite like internet justice. Some people have pointed out that a threat left on Xbox Live is flimsy evidence that this kid is the actual thief and not just the guy who bought it off the thief. That may be true, but it’s still a little hard to explain how an internet search that started with an Xbox Live account brought back a picture of a kid who looks a lot like the guy trying to pawn a Powerbook that sounds remarkably like the stolen one. Besides, even if he weren’t the one who broke into McPherson’s house, he still knowingly bought some stolen goods and then bragged about it to the rightful owner. That’s worthy enough of some internet backlash, I say.
Via McPherson’s Blog
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March 24th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Damn Timmies!!!!
March 24th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
i put his aim email address on porn sites.
March 24th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
wow cops not doing their jobs…. go figure. I am surprised they didn't arrest the victim of this story for doing their job.
March 24th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
God bless the internetz!!!
March 24th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
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March 24th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Yeah, cops are like that everywhere. Dont be fooled.
March 24th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Heh. Heh heh. I like that. I have a 360. If it got stolen, my computer would probably be gone too. If even *IF* my computer is still there, I like my 360. I would be mad. Very mad. He deserves it.
March 24th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
Don't mess with geeks. Sheesh.
March 24th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
wow 360ers take care of their own. first the kid that had his system cleaned of autographs and now this… that's pretty cool.
March 24th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
so how did he know where he lived to return the item? unless he was the thief.
March 24th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
[…] Internet Community Strikes Down Xbox 360 Thief With Great … Gaming Today - Spring,TX,USA The thief made off with his TV, an old Powerbook, and his Xbox 360. Naturally, he was upset, so he took it upon himself to call up some local pawn shops in … See all stories on this topic […]
March 24th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
It's suggested in the blog that the person who left the hilarious voice message and the person who went into the shop were different, perhaps both thieves.
The entire story is hilarious. The nature of the stupidity of the thieves involved is unfair on them. I feel as if we should be giving them *some chance*.
March 24th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
tl;dr: lol pwnt
March 24th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Wow, you would think the cops would of dome something…..maybe the people of the internet should be cops, they sure do a good job at it.
March 24th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Laffles. Anon strikes again.
March 24th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
ha ha ha ha ha ha.
Lolz. What a dumbass.
Shame about the cops. Someone ought to do something about that.
March 24th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
…And you will know my name is the Anon when I lay my vengeance upon thee.
March 24th, 2008 at 11:31 pm
He also seems to drop the 'N' word pretty liberally in his taunting xbox live message. Nice touch, what an ass.
March 25th, 2008 at 12:30 am
yeah cops are like that everywhere. The cops here for example arrest kids for riding bikes and refusing to do their homework, then turn around a buy meth from mexicans. I know because it's happened to me when I was younger, and we lived down the street from the house where the cops would go to get their fix.
March 25th, 2008 at 1:02 am
Cops do not care unless the victim is rich or a pretty white girl.
March 25th, 2008 at 1:29 am
The timing is right. Move in directed fashion against those who oppose us. The message is clear. Nobody likes the records that you play. [Polish Techno Beat]. PLAYO! VAMOS A LA PLAYO/PLAYA. Striking, roger that.
March 25th, 2008 at 1:43 am
thank GOD!
You are the first person to point out the underlying fact that no matter what the kid really did (either stealing it or buying it), he KNEW it was stolen and contacted the real owner bragging about it.
I was seriously sick of hearing people nit pick over the possibility of him coming into possession of the xbox by purchasing it when it really didn't change the fact that the little punk knew it was stolen.
March 25th, 2008 at 2:56 am
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March 25th, 2008 at 8:11 am
jesus, people, he's just a kid.
March 25th, 2008 at 8:47 am
Yeah, he's just a kid. A damn kid who stole somebody else's property, and the bragged about it. He deserves everything he gets, and then some.
March 25th, 2008 at 9:04 am
Popular justice is the best kind of justice. And yes he is just a kid, a kid who is damn lucky that he isn't in juvenile hall for the next two years, because legally and actually that's what should be the natural result of his actions. But on another note. Philadelphia is a wonderful and amazing city whose police force is bogged down with 400 murders a year (sounds like a lot, but it's not as many per capita as places like Baltimore, DC, St Louis [it's still the fifth largest city in the country, it's not official yet Phoenix!!]), and is made up of mostly stupid people. But they won't bother you much and neither will the criminals truthfully. The city of brotherly love is a vibrant, up and coming, beautiful, diverse, terrific American metropolis. This kinda shit is just what you put up with to be a part of urban rather than suburban life.
March 25th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
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March 25th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
pwned by anonymous
March 26th, 2008 at 1:34 am
I hope he smacked the kid fair in the jaw.
March 26th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
He got the xbox back.
Awesome.
March 27th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
piece of shit cops!
March 29th, 2008 at 8:44 am
Just a kid? I think if you punish him properly now it would be a favor he cannot return as you may save the little hood from prison. A crime attitude begins with being treated too easily when your caught the first time. If you let him loose with a warning (or ignore his behavior) you have not done him a favor.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:15 pm
This reply is for "hillz",who posted @8:11 on13/25/08."Jesus people,he's just a kid".
What does that mean ?
Are you saying that "kids"(although in the video from the pawn shop he looks at least to be in high school so he is not a kid.)can do as they please,without any type of repercussion? In my state you must be 18 or older to pawn something,
because a minor can not enter into a legal contract.So if he was able to pawn the stolen goods,he is not a kid.This brings up another question,
why is he not being prosicuted for pawning stolen property ? I do know this though,if all that info. turned up about someone that did something like this to me or mine.I would definately be getting with him about it.Especially if he was talking s*#t to me about it,and I had his adress.But any way,what I was wondering was.If a "kid" broke into your house "hillz",you wouldn't be salty or want something done about it ? Even if they contacted you talking trash about it.And offering to sell your belongings back to you ? I don't think so.That that isn't a kid,he is a THIEF.And should get the same treatment any thief that gets caught does.He broke into someone's home,what if someone was home at the time and it got ugly ? If someone breaks into my home,and I have the info.on them like in this story.He should be hoping that the police get to his house before I do.And that's all I've got to say. Peace
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:44 am
A bunch of my electronics got stolen as well (xbox 360, wii, my daughters psp, and some other valuable electronics) my neighbor so a stranger come to the house and might possibly now were this person lives and the police has done nothing
….thank God i have some home insurance….but that is beside the point…i want this person to pay for there actions…. my wife doesnt not like to be at home alone….i just got a huge dog in the backyard(were they came in from) also getting alarm system…what do you suggest
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:47 am
if you wanna email me thats cool bro…ps i don't even live in Philly
April 3rd, 2008 at 8:03 pm
The Xbox has been returned, if you consult the above wiki.
April 10th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Wow on new years eve i went home and my xbox 360 premium was gone with all my games and they took 1 wireless controller. I had it replaced with a 360 elite in january. About a week ago i came home from a party competely drunk and i could see into my room, that was supposed to be locked. I walked up to where my door used to be and see a bunch of screws sittin on a desk and my door layin in the floor of my room. Long story short i called the cops, they came out, only thing stolen again was my xbox 360, left the computer and all these things and it's really pissin me off. I wish i could get internet justice like this, but it would end with me stragling the crack addict that stole my 2 xbox's.
Figured i'd share anyway. I also called up 18004myxbox and after gettin transfered to i think the 3rd supervisor they gave me the serial number of my 360 elite.
Anyway time for the 5th xbox 360
April 26th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Thats proof that Jesse McPherson is a calm, cool human being.I would have hunted that fucking guy down like the animal he is and gutted him like a trout. Electronic aren't cheap. Data is very hard to replace.Breaking into someones house is grounds for a serious and painful, possibly crippling beat down with a pillow case full of unopened cans of Red Bull.