Stolen Tesla Owner Uses App to Watch Cops Catch Thief

It's like a video game but not nearly as fun.

Shahin Pirani watched on her iPhone as her car reached speeds up to 100 miles an hour in a police chase through San Diego Wednesday night.

Pirani was leaving a friend's house when she noticed her $90,000 Tesla was gone.

"Of course we panicked, not thinking what to do," Pirani said.

That's when she remembered the Tesla Model S App. The app enables its users to track where the car is, how fast it is going and disable the car if it is stopped.

"Sure enough it showed us that the car was within half a mile from where we were," she said.

So she and her friend went to the location while they called authorities.

When police arrived, the suspect, along with one passenger, fled in the car and led police on a 20-minute chase.

"The car was actually running at 100 mph so we figured the car was being chased by the cops," she said.

Using the Tesla app, Pirani was able to follow the pursuit as it weaved through Pacific Beach and La Jolla until it was came to a stop on Mission Bay Drive. She could even watch the speeds of the car.

After officers used a second spike strip, the car stopped and the two suspects took off on foot.

The driver was arrested immediately, and the passenger was eventually captured and taken to the hospital.

"The car is here and all the cops are here, the helicopter is here; so the navigation definitely did an amazing job,” Pirani said.

Pirani said she's owned the Tesla for about a year and this experience has her sold on the brand.

"After this, I'm not going to get any other car for sure," she said.

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