Angry ex showed up at woman’s lunch date by using GPS tracker, Florida cops say

Lunch dates don’t often include the police, but such was the case when an ex-boyfriend showed up to confront a woman and her new suitor at the restaurant, according to investigators in Florida.

The dispute happened just after noon Saturday, Nov. 2, at a restaurant in Cocoa Beach and led to the discovery of a GPS tracker on her car, police said in a Nov. 12 news release. Cocoa Beach is about a 60-mile drive southeast from Orlando.

“A Cocoa Beach Police Officer was flagged down by a woman who reported being followed by her ex-boyfriend,” police said.

“The woman stated that the individual ... had been following her for several months. That night, he appeared at the same restaurant where she was dining with her date. (The suspect) allegedly confronted the couple at the restaurant, prompting them to leave.”

That didn’t exactly work, either, because the suspect then followed her as she drove away — and she started receiving anonymous text messages, police said.

“Officers observed (the ex boyfriend) driving past the traffic stop multiple times,” police said.

“After stopping him, they discovered a GPS tracker inside his vehicle, and a second tracker was located under the woman’s vehicle.”

The 36-year-old suspect, who currently lives in Cocoa Beach, was arrested and charged with “installing a tracking device, stalking, cyberstalking, and not having a state-issued license while being a resident,” police said.

Jail records show the man gave investigators a home address in Massachusetts.

This story was originally published November 14, 2024 at 4:31 AM with the headline "Angry ex showed up at woman’s lunch date by using GPS tracker, Florida cops say."