That number led to an Apple employee, Anthony Colon, who confirmed that he worked for Apple but declined to comment further when reached by SF Weekly.

"This is something that's going to need to be investigated now," SFPD spokesman Lt. Troy Dangerfield told SF Weekly. "If this guy is saying that the people said they were SFPD, that's a big deal."

states that impersonating a police officer is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,000. PCWorld has asked the San Francisco Police Department for further comment.

This appears to be the second time an Apple employee has lost an iPhone prototype at a bar. Last year, Apple engineer Gray Powell at a bar in Redwood City, California. The gadget blog Gizmodo then bought the phone from 21 year-old Brian Hogan for $5,000, and published photos of the prototype. Hogan and another suspect, Sage Wallower, pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor theft charges Thursday in San Francisco.