The reason this makes me (and others by the looks of it) suspicious that this is a well made ad for the app, is that if it shows where the macbook is, why not just go get it, i certainly would, with a couple of my larger friends.
And if they don't do anything? They're not required to. Should he just forget about it?
If this is not a marketing stunt for an app, then he seems to be going about it the right way. The publicity will hopefully put pressure on the authorities to act.
All in all, if you know where he is it's much safer to let the cops handle it. So what if you do sort it out with a few of your "larger friends"? He's probably got larger friends too, and he knows where you live.