Latest news with #jewelrytheft
Daily Mail
11 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Shocking moment jewel thief tries to swallow $770,000 worth of Tiffany & Co. diamonds
A habitual jewel thief was caught on police body worn camera swallowing $770,000 worth of stolen Tiffany & Co. diamonds to avoid arrest. Jaythan Gilder, 32, was pulled over about 330 miles outside of Orlando, Florida, on February 26 after troopers were warned to 'be on the lookout' following a robbery at Tiffany & Co. earlier in the day. He had allegedly posed as a representative of an NBA player seeking to purchase diamonds. When he was taken to a private room, he snatched two sets of diamond earrings worth $609,500 and $160,000 and fled the store. Extraordinary body camera footage from his arrest was obtained by The Smoking Gun and captured the moment an officer noticed Gilder. The jewel thief was handcuffed and being led to the patrol car, 'was talking with a closed mouth and was moving an object around... using his tongue.' An officer quickly lunged at him while two other cops rushed to help, ordering Gilder to open his mouth and spit out the contents as they held him face down by the throat. 'You're about to get tased,' one trooper told him as he refused to comply. Moments later, a second said: 'He swallowed something.' The officers grabbed Gilder's jaw and throat, fearing he may have swallowed narcotics. He had a white substance on his lips which he later said was a cold sore cream. A search of Gilder's rented car yielded price tags and earring cards for Tiffany & Co. products, leading officers to determine he had swallowed the diamonds. Gilder was arrested and taken to hospital, where he reportedly refused an X-ray. He was scanned at jail and 'foreign objects' were detected inside his body. He reportedly asked: 'Am I going to be charged with what's in my stomach?' Upon return to hospital, Gilder reportedly 'refused to take any laxatives and claimed to be a practicing Muslim who would only eat after sundown and before sunrise due to it being the holiday of Ramadan.' This slowed recovery efforts, but after two weeks in mid-March, the Tiffany & Co. diamonds were reportedly passed naturally. Early on March 10, officers discovered two stones while tracking Gilder's excrement. But it was later determined these 'were not the earrings from Tiffany & Co.' They were of little value, but work was being done to determine where they had come from. Hours later, Gilder passed two of the diamonds allegedly stolen from Tiffany & Co., and two days later on June 12 he passed the final diamond. Back in February 2022, Gilder was arrested for stealing diamonds from a jeweler in Colorado and allegedly swallowed them when he was confronted by police According to the publication, the diamonds underwent rigorous cleaning at Tiffany's Master Jeweler and were returned to the company. It is unclear if they have since been sold. Back in February 2022, Gilder was arrested for stealing diamonds from a jeweler in Colorado and allegedly swallowed them when he was confronted by police. They were never recovered. He remains in custody facing charges of robbery and grand theft. Gilder attempted to be released from custody to attend his mother's funeral in Texas, but bail was denied.
CBC
a day ago
- CBC
Burnaby RCMP warn of distraction thefts robbing seniors of heirloom jewelry
A flurry of "distraction thefts" in Burnaby, B.C., have led police to renew warnings to seniors about the specific type of crime happening around the Lower Mainland. Burnaby RCMP say three thefts in the last few weeks have resulted in two victims losing family heirlooms. Each of the reported thefts involved an elderly victim, according to Burnaby RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Michael Kalanj. All three were also female, but Kalanj said police think that's because they were visibly wearing jewelry. "The suspects are casing out areas," Kalanj said. "They're finding people on the street, or in their yard doing gardening, or just out and about, that they can tell are wearing jewelry. "To make it worse, they're kind of looking for people ... that might be wearing heirlooms, expensive jewelry that others might only wear on special occasions." Kalanj said in each case, a car pulled up and a woman jumped out, while a man waited in the driver's seat. The woman overwhelmed the victim by speaking fast and exchanged the real jewelry for nearly worthless jewelry. The corporal said that the suspects were choosing victims that don't speak English as well as others. "And before you know it, they're right in their face. They're flattering them, telling them beautiful things: 'You remind me of (my) mother' … And as they're putting on a worthless necklace, they're quickly taking the family heirloom and expensive jewelry off of our victims." Two of the victims lost heirloom necklaces in the thefts, police say. "The third person, who we'll commend, made a stink, just started yelling, managed to keep their necklace, and the suspect drove off," Kalanj told CBC News. He recommended if anyone faces such a situation, to make a scene by yelling and "create witnesses." "Don't feel embarrassed and call the police right away," Kalanj said. Cases reported across Lower Mainland Police don't think it's the same people involved in the different thefts. Kalanj said the suspected thieves are likely in touch with each other and could be part of the same network. "We think there's people all over the Lower Mainland that are just trying to take advantage of some of the good-natured seniors that we have in our community," the spokesperson said. In March, the Surrey Police Service also warned the public about distraction thefts. Surrey police said some of the common methods included people approaching a victim and asking for money for gas, or attempting to sell gold jewelry or an iPhone. The Vancouver Police Department has said distraction thefts have been occurring in the city for years. In 2018, the department produced a social media video warning of distraction thefts. "We have not made any arrests, but investigations into these files are very much active and ongoing," Const. Tania Visintin told CBC News in an emailed statement. Family members are being encouraged to speak with seniors and discuss what distraction thefts are and how to stay safe.
CTV News
4 days ago
- CTV News
Police searching for 4 involved in jewelry store theft in central Alberta
RCMP are looking for four people involved in a jewelry store robbery that happened in Innisfail last week. Police say four people went into a local jewelry store on June 12 at approximately 2:30 p.m. While staff were distracted, one person stole several pieces of jewelry. Innisfail RCMP are asking the public to provide any information about the four people to 403-227-3342 or anonymously through Crime Stoppers. Innisfail theft Police are looking for 4 men involved in a jewelry store robbery in Innisfail. (Supplied) Innisfail theft Police are looking for 4 men involved in a jewelry store robbery in Innisfail. (Supplied) Innisfail theft Police are looking for 4 men involved in a jewelry store robbery in Innisfail. (Supplied)
CTV News
4 days ago
- CTV News
Four suspects sought in distraction theft in Innisfail, Alta.
Innisfail RCMP want to identify these individuals, suspects in a recent jewelry theft on June 12, 2025. (Supplied) Innisfail RCMP are looking for help to find four suspects connected to a distraction theft at a local jewelry store. Mounties said at about 2:30 p.m. on June 12, four people entered the store and while three of them distracted the staff, the fourth was able to get into the back of the store. He stole 'a substantial amount' of jewelry, police said. All four suspects were captured on security footage and police are now seeking to identify them. Anyone with information is asked to call Innisfail RCMP at 403-227-3342 or your local police detachment. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or online at
CBS News
7 days ago
- CBS News
Simi Valley police bust sophisticated burglary crew, allegedly tied to $3 million jewelry store heist
The Simi Valley Police Department announced the bust of a sophisticated burglary crew on Friday, responsible for allegedly stealing more than $3 million worth of property from a Simi Valley jewelry store last month. Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said four suspects allegedly connected to the burglary, ranging in age from 25 to 37 years old, pleaded not guilty in court on Thursday to felony charges of conspiracy to commit commercial burglary and conspiracy to receive stolen property. "These were not teenagers burglarizing a local business to score quick cash," Nasarenko said. "Rather, they were sophisticated and skilled professionals who used countersurveillance measures, a collapsable ladder, rope, and power tools to cut through a roof, tunnel through a wall, breach a safe – to take millions in watches, jewelry, cash and other merchandise." Simi Valley Police Department Chief Steve Shorts said at Friday's news conference that the suspects are allegedly tied to a South American theft group, a network known for committing organized and targeted commercial burglaries. "All suspects are Chilean nationals who have been in California for an undetermined amount of time," he said. On May 25 around 11:30 p.m., the suspects allegedly entered the adjoining business of 5 Star Jewelry and Watch Repair through its roof. Shorts said they then tunneled their way through a shared wall into the jewelry store and spray-painted the surveillance cameras once inside the store. A safe containing approximately $3.5 million in cash, high-end watches, and precious jewelry was stolen. The day before, on May 24, Shorts described what could have been a practice run for the suspects, as they used similar tactics to break into Simi Jewelers & Pawnbrokers, but nothing was stolen. Shorts said detectives also located surveillance footage from the shopping plaza where 5 Star Jewelry and Watch Repair is located that showed the suspects allegedly scouting the site five days before the burglary occurred. Through coordinated efforts with local, state, and federal agencies, detectives used surveillance footage, license plate reader data and forensic review of digital evidence to identify the suspects. On June 10, police arrested Sergio Machuca, 28, Manuel Ibarra, 37, Camilo Lara, 32, and Heidy Trujillo, 25, all San Fernando Valley residents. "Some … were actually carrying the stolen merchandise in multiple bags from the jewelry store at the time of their arrest, while others were literally wearing the stolen jewelry," Nasarenko said. During the arrests and subsequent Canoga Park search warrant, detectives recovered large amounts of jewelry, cash, and designer watches, confirmed to be items from the Simi Valley jewelry store, and its adjoining candy shop business. There may be additional cases connected to this group, but police could not provide further details. "But believe me, that is being examined by outside agencies," Shorts said. All four suspects remain jailed on $100,000 bail.
