Saskatoon boy whose AirPods were stolen receives outpouring of support from community

SASKATOON -- A 10-year-old boy whose headphones were stolen as he tried to trade his way to a PlayStation 5 has been flooded with support from the community.

Thomas Ballantyne was able to secure a new pair of AirPods in his quest to trade up to that game system.

But, he says when he showed the headphones to a potential buyer, the stranger grabbed them out of his hands and ran.

In a state of fear and shock, Ballantyne and his mother, Elsie, briefly chased after the vehicle but couldn’t make out a license plate. They could only see it was a blue Chevrolet Equinox. They filed a police report.

Since then he’s received a new pair of AirPods, a set of AirPod Pro headphones, a video doorbell camera and $135.

Ballantyne told CTV News he’s overwhelmed by all the people who helped him and he says he’s motivated to continue his challenge.