Rubi Rubio, 15, Dies Trying To Recover iPhone 5S From Thief

Rubi Rubio just got a new iPhone 5S — her third actually, as she broke the first two that she had. The 15-year-old was told that if she kept her grades up, her mom would buy her the new phone, but if this one broke, there wouldn’t be a number four. Rubio came through and did well her sophomore year of high school. According to AOL.com, Rubio was walking home with her 7-year-old sister in Santa Ana on July 3, when a man stopped her and asked her for the time. When Rubio checked her new phone in an effort to help the man, he snatched it from her hands and took off.

It is unknown what Rubio was thinking, but she chased after the man’s car and jumped on his trunk. The man swerved the car back and forth in an effort to knock Rubio off, and she eventually fell to the ground, hitting her head on the pavement.

Sadly, Rubi Rubio died from her injuries two days later. It is unclear why Rubio thought that she could handle this guy — or why she put her life on the line for her phone, but she definitely stood up for herself and tried to handle the situation without help. Perhaps Rubio felt that her mother wouldn’t believe her story or that she would have to go without a phone (since her mother told her this was the last phone she was getting), who knows?

Rubi Rubio might have been afraid of getting in trouble — this according to her mom. According to CBS News, Rubio’s mother said that her daughter (who wanted to be a veterinarian) was not an aggressive person. Her actions (though somewhat brave) were unlike her.

Police have not found the suspect, but an investigation is ongoing.

“The iPhone was recovered by neighbors near the scene of the accident and is now being treated as evidence in a homicide investigation. The suspect was last seen wearing a black baseball hat, white tank top and light-colored jeans and is described as a Latino in his later 20s or early 30s.”

An iPhone isn’t a cheap investment (The Inquisitr), and it sounds like Rubio was really lucky to have her mom buy her two new phones each time her old ones broke. It seems obvious that she didn’t want to lose her phone and that she thought that she could catch the guy that stole her prized possession. Sadly, a phone is replaceable, but a person is not.

[Photo courtesy of YouTube screen capture]