Coachella 2017
photo by Roger Ho

Pickpockets at Coachella: NY man arrested with over 100 phones

Coachella 2017
a sea of lit up phones at Coachella Saturday / photo by Roger Ho, courtesy of Coachella

Keep a close eye on your phone at Coachella; there have been reports of pickpocketing at the festival in previous years, but this year it seems at least one opportunistic thief was especially prolific. KMIR reports that a New York man was arrested with over 100 phones in a backpack. Thanks to the “Find My Phone” feature, several have already been reunited with their owners, and the remainder have been turned over to Coachella lost & found.

More people on the Coachella subreddit have shared their experiences with pickpockets this year, too:

I was at the end of the Empire of the Sun set and the crowd was super thick, felt the guy take my phone out of my pocket and confronted him. He passed it to someone else without me seeing and when I got to him he had nothing in his pockets.

Remember to NEVER HAVE SHIT IN YOUR POCKETS in thick crowds.

Also, If you find an iPhone 6s with a “PrettyGood” pink sticker on the back, pm me. (via)

BEWARE OF THE SAHARA!!! Last year this blonde bitch started to open the backpacks and reach into the pockets of everyone in front of me. Luckily, I smacked the bitch on the arm and told her to get the fuck out (via)

Weekend 1 of Coachella wraps up tonight (4/16); you can live stream some of the performances, including headliner Kendrick Lamar, and some sets will broadcast on Sirius XM.

We have lots of pictures from Friday, including Radiohead, Father John Misty, The xx, King Gizzard and Mac DeMarcoSaturday, including Lady Gaga, Bon Iver, Future (with special guests Migos and Drake), and DJ Snake (with special guest Lauryn Hill). See some in the gallery below. The whole festival happens again next week.

photos by Andrew Jorgensen, Brian Willette, Charles Reagan Hackleman, Chris Miller, Erik Voake, Greg Noire, Jose Negrete, Julian Bajsel, Lance Gerber, Neil Husvar, Roger Ho, courtesy of Coachella