Latest news with #jewelrytheft
CTV News
2 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Warning about distraction jewelry thefts in Windsor parking lots
Windsor police cruiser at headquarters in Windsor, Ont., on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. (Melanie Kentner/CTV News Windsor) Windsor police are warning the public after two separate incidents of distraction jewelry thefts. The incidents involve a male and female suspect. During these interactions, the suspects approach unsuspecting victims in store parking lots, offer them a piece of fake jewelry as a 'gift,' then proceed to remove the victim's own jewelry. 'We are reminding everyone to be vigilant when approached by strangers offering unsolicited items or engaging in unusual conversations,' said police in a social media post. Police said if you are approached in a similar manner, refuse the gift and immediately report the incident to Windsor police. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Pawn Unit at 519-255-6700, ext. 7431. They can also contact Windsor & Essex County Crime Stoppers anonymously at 519-258-8477 (TIPS) or online at
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Watch: Burglar uses smoke grenades and sledgehammer in Claridge's raid
A burglar used a sledgehammer and smoke grenades while trying to steal jewels worth £190,000 from Claridge's hotel in Mayfair. Jay McGinty, 37, arrived at the hotel's riding pavilion in March on a Vespa scooter, whilst wearing a balaclava underneath his crash helmet, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said McGinty, of no fixed abode, went through the revolving doors at the hotel's side entrance and pulled pins from several smoke grenades he was carrying. After the grenades went off, he could be seen on CCTV using a sledgehammer to smash a display case containing several items of jewellery. He was stopped by hotel security staff, who detained him until the police arrived. McGinty pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary and was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday to six years' imprisonment. Monica Oluwole, from the CPS, said: 'Jay McGinty tried to use a smokescreen to cover his brazen attempt to steal highly valued items of jewellery. 'He was caught red-handed thanks to the quick actions of the hotel security and staff who prevented him from escaping and called the police. 'This heist, although it had all the hallmarks of planning and reconnaissance work, didn't work and we were able to make sure he was brought to justice.'
CBS News
2 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Burglars break through Glendale jewelry store roof and steal $2 million worth of valuables
A family-owned jewelry store in Glendale is cleaning up the mess left behind by a group of burglars that broke through its roof and stole millions of dollars worth of valuables. "They had come in from the ceiling," owner Manial Bidrussian said. "They cleaned us out." The burglars broke through the jewelry store's roof at roughly 1 a.m. on Tuesday, according to the Glendale Police Department. Once inside, they ransacked the shop and started drilling into Bidrussian's safe. However, the heat from the drill ignited some ammunition that Bidrussian stored in the shop's safe. "They cleaned all of our safes out," Bidrussian said. "They cleaned everything, and they made it into a warzone. As I've been telling everybody else, it's like a battle, a war happened in here." Bidrussian said his parents started the business in 1980. "My mom and my dad, they passed it down to me," he said. "I was running it for 23 years. It's a 45-year business ... That Tuesday morning, life changed for all of us." It's unclear how much the burglars stole and damaged, but Bidrussian believes it's around $2 million. Police have not released a description of the suspects.
CTV News
4 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Guelph jewelry store targeted by thieves
Smashed front door at Silveri Jewellers in Guelph, Ont. on May 28, 2025. (Submitted) The owners of a Guelph jewelry store are once again cleaning up after a break-in. The latest incident happened Wednesday, around 2:35 a.m., at Silveri Jewellers on Paisley Road. Silveri Jewellers break-in Guelph Silveri Jewellers in Guelph, Ont. on May 28, 2025. (Hannah Schmidt/CTV News) Security video showed a Chevrolet Camaro with black bumpers pulling up to the store. A male then got out of the passenger side, used a hammer to break the glass on the front door and reach in to unlock it. Inside the store, the suspect smashed two glass display cases and took jewelry and watches. Silveri Jewellers break-in Guelph Empty shelves at Silveri Jewellers in Guelph, Ont. on May 28, 2025. (Hannah Schmidt/CTV News) The first suspect, who was inside the store, is described as a Black male with a medium build. He was wearing a black and white hoodie with lettering on the front, blue track pants, black and white running shoes, a black baseball cap and black face mask. Guelph Police said he was also carrying a black duffel bag. The security video did not show the person who was driving the Camaro. Anyone with information is asked to contact Det. Sgt. Ian Smith, with the Break Enter Auto Theft Unit, at 519-824-1212, ext. 7125, or ismith@ Tips can also be shared anonymously with Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or Silveri Jewellers break-in Guelph Empty displays at Silveri Jewellers in Guelph, Ont. on May 28, 2025. (Hannah Schmidt/CTV News) 2022 robbery This was the second break-in at Silveri Jewellers. Early on the morning of Dec. 23, 2022, a pickup truck reversed through the front of the store. Three males then got out the Dodge Ram and grabbed thousands of dollars worth of jewelry. Owner Todd Koebel and his wife watched it all unfold on security video and contacted police. Officers arrived minutes later but, by then, the thieves were already long gone.
CBS News
4 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
$2 million in cash, jewelry stolen in brazen Simi Valley heist: "These guys were professional thieves"
Surveillance camera video captured the moment that a group of suspects burglarized two Simi Valley businesses overnight, including $2 million in stolen cash and product taken from a jewelry store. It happened in the 2800 block of Cochran Street over the weekend, at around midnight on Sunday, says Ted Mackel, who owns Dr. Conkey's Candy & Coffee. His shop was how the suspects gained access to the jewelry store next door. He says that they entered the building through the roof over the bathroom behind his business, entered through the door and slid across the floor towards some shelves. It's there that video shows them drilling through the wall and directly into the safe of 5 Star Jewelry and Repair. "These guys were professional thieves. They had a plan, they must've cased us," said Jonathan Youssef, who owns the impacted store with his father Jacob. The small hole burglars drilled in the side wall of the safe at Five Stars Jewelry and Repair in Simi Valley, through which business owners say they took nearly $2 million in stolen goods. KCAL News At first, they thought that nothing inside of their business was stolen, but upon opening the safe, they realized that they had been hit without the suspect every stepping foot inside. They took off with every piece of gold jewelry the store had, every luxury watch and multiple other irreplaceable items. "So, they cut through her wall into my safe and stole everything that me and my dad have accumulated for our business over the past 25 years," Youssef said. "The worst part about the loss of property that we had was the customers that we built up over that same period. Trust us with their heirloom jewelry to repair and unfortunately, some of that jewelry, all of that jewelry, was stolen." They estimate that $2 million in jewelry was taken. They're working to secure loans to replace the stolen gold and replicate the heirloom pieces that were taken. On top of the material goods, but Mackel and Youssef say that they had something else taken from them in the four-hour window that the thieves were operating. "Was enough for them to drill through and take everything that we have, including my dad's retirement, including my future. Every single thing that we had," Youssef said. "These are the people, the families you go to church with, the families that your kids are in school with, run all these businesses and when things like this happen, it's devastating," Mackel said. "It's absolutely devastating." So far, investigators have not yet released any description of the suspects or announced any arrests.
