A North Carolina woman vacationing in Venice took matters into her own hands last week when she tracked down a suspected teenage pickpocket and restrained her by the ponytail until police arrived, as reported by The New York Post.
The tourist, traveling with her husband, reported that her purse was stolen on a narrow bridge after being surrounded by several young girls. The stolen bag contained her passport, credit cards, cash, a metal water bottle, and a set of AirPods.
Using the “Find My Friends” feature linked to the AirPods, she was able to track the location of her belongings.
Wild video shows a tourist yanking a suspected pickpocket by the ponytail after the teenager allegedly stole her purse and passport while on vacation in Venice. https://t.co/ca28MHClUf
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) August 19, 2025
Her daughter, Karis McElroy, posted video of the incident on TikTok, showing her mother gripping a 14-year-old girl by the hair as crowds gathered around in the Italian city.
“Her and my stepdad immediately started tracking her purse through her AirPods on Find My Friends, and they were able to track it down back to those three girls,” Karis said in a follow-up video.
According to McElroy, her mother confronted the suspects and grabbed one of them by the ponytail. Two of the girls stayed while one fled with the purse.
US tourist YANKS a pickpocket by the ponytail while on vacation in Venice
Two of the suspects were arrested on the spot after a small scuffle which left the mom with some stitches, while the third was later captured by the police pic.twitter.com/lg3Mqrz17b
— RT (@RT_com) August 21, 2025
“She said she didn’t care about any of the other stuff in the bag, but she just at least wanted her passport so she could get home,” Karis explained.
The Airbnb host where the couple was staying told the tourist that the trio of girls were known pickpockets in Venice. The host stood by while the woman waited for police.
In the video, the teen being held can be heard screaming as the tourist responded, “I have eight kids, you’re not getting to me.”
American tourists tracks down and carries out a citizen’s arrest against a gypsy pickpocket who had stolen her purse and passport in Venice
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) August 21, 2025
When officers arrived, one of the suspects allegedly swung the stolen purse and struck the tourist in the head.
“And in the bag was that metal water bottle that they took from my mom. So my mom had a massive gash on her head, and it was bleeding everywhere. She got a black eye from it, and the girls were arrested. And then my mom had to go to the hospital and get some stitches,” Karis said.
Authorities later intercepted the third girl, who had boarded a train to the airport. The woman’s passport and credit cards were recovered, but her cash and AirPods were not returned.
US tourist, mother of 8, catches Venetian pickpocket, holds her by the ponytail until police arrive. pic.twitter.com/EE49SNrN19
— Catch Up (@CatchUpFeed) August 20, 2025
Despite the incident, McElroy said her mother noted the kindness of local residents. A jewelry store owner near the family’s Airbnb gave her a necklace following the ordeal.
Italian outlet Il Messaggero reported that the 14-year-old girl arrested during the confrontation was released on bail two days later.
The family, from North Carolina, is currently on a Mediterranean cruise after boarding in Venice, according to McElroy.
