A suspect visited a retail store three or four times saying he had gotten $60,000 from a lawsuit and that he wanted to buy something nice for his mother or grandmother. When the suspect was allowed to hold a $26,000 necklace, he ran from the store. The suspect is described as a black male, 40-50 years old, 5’5”, with salt and pepper hair, who sometimes wears glasses.

A male suspect and a female suspect entered a mall retail jewelry chain store looking for an engagement ring. After being in the store for 15-20 minutes looking at merchandise, the female leaned over the counter to “whisper” to the sales associate that if she can do a better deal on the ring, they will buy it today. When she whispers to the sales associate, the sales associate turns her head and the male suspect uses that opportunity to reach over and into the showcase to take a diamond ring. See the video on the upper right.

A burglar broke into a retail jewelry store by smashing the front glass window and then entering the store and smashing showcases. The burglar took $100,000 in merchandise that was left out in showcases overnight. See the video above.
RECOMMENDATION: JSA urges all jewelers to put away all their goods each night in a safe.

A suspect entered a mall retail jewelry store, strolled around, and asked if he could trade his wristwatch for a new one. A sales associate asked to hold the suspect’s identification, and then opened the jewelry case. The sales associate took out a watch, valued at $34,000, and put it on the suspect’s wrist. As soon as the watch was on his wrist, the suspect ran from the store. The suspect is a black male, 5’ 10”-6’1”, 180 lbs. and wearing a white tee shirt. The watch the suspect wished to trade was later determined to be a fake.

Two masked robbers carrying a three foot samurai sword entered a retail jewelry store in England while the 40-year-old owner was having a morning cup of tea. After the robbers attacked the jeweler with the sword, there was a furious struggle in which the jeweler took the sword away from the robbers. He then turned the sword on the two robbers, whacking one on the back with the flat end of the blade, and chasing both from the store. The robbers fled by car without taking any merchandise. The jeweler required surgery on his hand, which was injured in the incident, and the two robbers haven’t yet been caught.
RECOMMENDATION: JSA does not advise this type of resistance, which could have resulted in tragedy.

At 2:00 p.m. a male suspect was in a retail jewelry store along with two other customers and the owner and his wife. The suspect asked the owner about a bangle bracelet for a baby. When the owner walked away for a few seconds, the heavy-set suspect climbed on the counter with his full weight, face down, reached over, and took a two-carat diamond ring from the open showcase. He climbed on the case while only a few feet from a customer and the owner’s wife. The owner and his wife didn’t realize the ring was missing until the next morning. If you have information about this suspect, call the Salem Police Department at 603-893-1911.

At 3:00 a.m. several men dropped into a retail jewelry store through the ceiling. They disabled the alarm system and broke into showcases. The burglars then attempted to move a 2,000 pound safe out of the store, but had trouble moving it. The burglars left and returned with more gang members who were able to move the safe out of the store. However, the safe was too heavy for the truck lift of their stolen truck and they couldn’t get the safe onto the truck. The suspects attempted to drive away with the safe on the lift, but when they pulled out of the parking lot, the safe fell off the truck lift onto the road. The suspects drove away leaving the safe behind. Several days later Kernersville Police arrested two white male suspects, who were charged with felony breaking and entering, larceny and safecracking. Police are still seeking three other suspects.

Two male suspects and one female suspect working with a sales associate at a showcase distracted the sales associate by commenting on and looking at a necklace the sales associate was wearing. One of the male suspects draped his large coat on the showcase, reached under the coat and into the showcase, and took $8,500 worth of diamond earrings. The items were not discovered to be missing until closing time. See the video top right, which includes good full face pictures of the suspects. (Video is at upper right)

A showcase was left open and a sales associate moved from that area of the showcase to assist another customer. At that point a heavy-set, black male suspect wearing a hat and coat and talking on a cell phone walked over to the showcase, reached in, and took three watches with a retail value of $27,000. The surveillance video above pictures the suspect reaching into the showcase and shows an excellent, full-face image of the suspect putting the watches in his pocket and walking out of the store. If you recognize the suspect or he has been in your store, please contact the Jewelers’ Security Alliance at 212-687-0328.

Two black male suspects entered a retail jewelry store at 8:20 p.m. They did not display weapons, but they knocked an employee to the floor. They smashed a showcase with a crowbar, put the diamond merchandise in a bag and fled through the mall. The men were described as 5’ 11”, 230 lbs. One man had a mustache and both wore blue hooded jackets over ball caps.

A suspect who said he was in a retail jewelry store to sell gold jewelry took a ring off the counter and left the store when a sales associate turned away from the counter for a telephone call. The ring was a 12 carat sapphire with a one carat diamond on either side in a platinum setting. Anyone with information should call Detective David Duncan at 516-822-1661.

Burglars entered a jewelry business on South 8 th Street through the ceiling, and crawled through the ventilation duct work. The burglars disabled an alarm, cut a phone line, and then cut into a safe, taking a large quantity of jewelry merchandise. They left a ladder at the scene under the damaged ceiling. The store owner discovered the burglary on Monday morning. Police responded when the motion detector was set off at 10:17 p.m., but left thinking it was a false alarm after visually inspecting from the outside and failing to see any intruders.

Two black male suspects entered a retail jewelry store. After looking in showcases they asked to view diamonds from a sitdown showcase. When the sales associate left to get a different associate to show them diamonds, one suspect checked the case door to see if was locked. Another sales associate came out to show diamonds to one suspect, while the second suspect walked around. At one point the man looking at the diamonds distracted the sales associate while the second suspect, who had a coat over his left arm, reached in the open showcase and took a 1.44 ct diamond. The loss was not discovered until inventory was taken eleven days later. Suspect #1 was 60-years-old, dressed in a gray suit, and suspect #2 was between 50 and 55-years-old. Suspect #2 was wearing a dark suit with a light- colored dress hat, but was carrying his coat on his arm.

Two suspects wearing ski masks, black-hooded sweatshirts and gloves entered a store at 2:15 p.m. They held a gun to the head of a security guard and sprayed him with pepper spray. Moments later two additional suspects entered and used hammers to smash jewelry cases, taking a large quantity of high-end watches. One of the suspects left a trace of blood when he cut himself on the broken glass, and the blood sample has been sent for possible DNA identification. The suspects left in 28 seconds, and drove away in a green Chevrolet Impala or Ford Taurus.

Burglars cut a hole through the roof of a retail jewelry store located in a strip mall. They defeated the alarm systems, unhooked the video recorder from the cameras and removed the recorder. The burglars then burned through a TL 30x6 safe and took a large quantity of jewelry merchandise. There was a similar incident on May 2, 2009 in Kennesaw in which burglars came in through the ceiling of another jewelry store and took merchandise that was not in the safe.

A white male suspect entered a retail jewelry store and appeared to be talking on his cell phone during his visit. He both sat and stood at a showcase and waited until the sales associates were distracted by other customers. Then he was able to reach behind the showcase several times, slide open an unlocked panel, and take jewelry merchandise. For a still photo and description see the upper left of this homepage. For a video, click on the photo above.

Natick, MA
May 6, '09

A suspect entered a retail jewelry store at 8:00 p.m. and asked the sales associate if he could see a diamond ring that was on display. When the suspect had the ring in his had, he ran from the store. The suspect is described as a light-skinned black male, mid-to-late 20s, 5'8" to 5'9" with a muscular build. He had a thin mustache and a tattoo on his inner left forearm that may have been two words forming a "V" pattern. Anyone with information should call the Natick Police at 508-647-9500.

Beverly Hills, CA
March 31, '09

Ontario, CA
March 24, '09

Mission Viejo, CA
March 24, '09

Three masked burglars broke into a mall retail jewelry store at 5:30 a.m., before the mall opened. The suspects walked back and forth for ten minutes outside the jewelry store before they shattered a small, lower storefront window to gain entry. They used hammers to break open the showcases, and put the jewelry merchandise into large sacks. Some other tenants in the mall heard glass breaking and called police, but the burglars were gone in a minute. The suspects escaped in a dark gray Porsche Cayenne SUV. If you have information, call the Orange County Sheriff's Department at 866 TIP-OCSD.

At 5:10 a.m. four suspects in masks and hooded sweatshirts used crowbars and hammers to smash into a retail jewelry store in the Glendale Galleria and shattered showcases. They were in the store for less than two minutes and took lower-end jewelry merchandise. Anyone with information should call the Glendale Police Department at 818-548-2097. Recommendation: Unless ALL MERCHANDISE is put away each night, this video shows what can be the unfortunate result.

Ft. Myers, FL
January 19, '09

At 3:00 p.m. a suspect cut the seal on a jewelry showcase, lifted the top twice, and removed diamond jewelry at a mall retail jewelry store. The suspect was pictured in the surveillance video (above right), and his image was circulated by email to officers throughout the Fort Myers Police Department. The suspect was located, and with the assistance of the Lee County Sheriff's Office, he was arrested.

A male suspect and a female suspect browsed in a retail jewelry store. As they left the man jumped the counter and the woman rushed to shut the front door. They were not wearing masks and called in two more suspects to help. The owner, his wife and his nine-year-old son were in the store. The wife and son were thrown to the floor by the robbers, and the owner struggled with one of the suspects. The suspects stole a large amount of jewelry and cash.

Washington, DC
November 9, '08

Two female suspects distracted sales associates in a retail jewelry store, and a male suspect leaned over the counter, reached in and took a 2.14 carat branded diamond. The video is in three parts: 1. Three suspects pictured full-face before entering the store. 2. The male takes off his coat near the showcase and drapes it over his arm while the two females distract the sales associates. 3. The male boldly leans over the showcase and reaches in, taking the diamond. See the suspects and the theft in the video at theleft.

Pittsburgh, PA
August 1, '08

Two male suspects and one female suspect went into a retail jewelry store in an office building. The couple distracted the owner while the third suspect unlocked a jewelry case closest to the door and took a diamond and ruby necklace. The suspects then all left the store within 30 seconds. See a clear picture of all three suspects as well as the theft in the video pictured at the left.

Two white male jewelry thieves, who had stolen a valuable necklace from a New York department store in October 2006, were spotted in the last few days casing a different high-end Fifth Avenue jewelry store in Manhattan. While no product was taken, police authorities have asked JSA to warn jewelers of the continued activity of this pair of suspects. In the October 2006 theft, the thieves posed as affluent shoppers on a Saturday at 2:00 p.m. when they asked a sales associate to show them a piece of jewelry on the bottom shelf of a display cabinet.

Boston, MA
June 25, '08

At 10:30 a.m. four armed and masked male suspects arrived at the Cumberland Mall in a white 2003-2005, four-door Pontiac Bonneville. They went to a retail jewelry store and forced the employees to the floor at gunpoint then began smashing showcases and taking jewelry. Within a few minutes the suspects ran down a hallway to the waiting Pontiac in the parking garage and fled. Anyone with information should contact the Cobb County Police Department's Crimes Against Persons Unit at 770-499-3945.

Chicago, IL
May 8, '08

At 2:00 p.m. two male Hispanic suspects were buzzed into a retail jewelry store. The suspects fled the store and got into the trunk of an older tan or beige Mercury Marquis with a green roof. Suspect #1 is described as 30-35 years old, 5'10"', 200-230 lbs, black hair, brown eyes, with a mustache. Suspect #2 is described as 30-35 years old, 5'8” to 5'10”,
150-170 lbs., black hair, brown eyes, with a mustache. If you have information about these suspects please contact Officer Mike Brown of the Chicago Police Department at
312-745-5669 or FBI Special Agent Ted McNamara at 312-421-6700.