According to court documents, a man posing as a professional basketball player allegedly ingested stolen Tiffany jewelry valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars.
According to an arrest complaint, Jaythan Gilder, 32, of Houston, Texas, is accused of robbing a Tiffany & Co. jewelry store at an Orlando, Florida mall on February 26. According to authorities, Gilder allegedly walked into the store wearing a red hat, a red Polo shirt, and extremely torn blue trousers.
According to reports, he introduced himself to store employees as Shawn and claimed to be negotiating a deal on behalf of an Orlando Magic basketball star.
Store employees informed authorities that Gilder was taken into the VIP section of the store due to the jewelry’s high worth.
A diamond ring and two pairs of diamond earrings were among the items. Store employees told authorities that the ring is worth $587,000 and the pairs of earrings are worth $160,000 and $609,500 respectively.
Gilder is accused of jumping out of his seat and grabbing the items during the VIP room consultation. By “violently pushing and pulling” at the sliding doors, he allegedly tried to exit the VIP room.
Court filings state that when store employee Amit Nayee attempted to restrain Gilder, Gilder “violently pushes and pulls his arms.” According to the police, Nayee’s arms had obvious wounds.
The diamond ring was dropped during the altercation.
According to the authorities, Gilder managed to keep the earrings and open the doors sufficiently to make his getaway. He apparently avoided other employees as he rushed through the store.
Police were informed by a store employee that she thought Gilder was carrying a gun. According to the cops, he exited the mall by going out the front doors of the store.
Security cameras in a mall parking lot captured a man who fit Gilder’s description getting into a blue 2024 Mitsubishi Outlander. Using toll records and public safety cameras, they were able to track the vehicle.
The brand, model, and license plate number of the car were reported to the Florida Highway Patrol.
On February 26, the highway patrol stopped a vehicle that fit that description for a traffic infraction just before 8 p.m. local time.
The car’s driver was detained on resisting charges unrelated to the event after reportedly refusing the investigation. Gilder was identified as the driver by highway enforcement officials. Tiffany & Co. price tags and earring forms were discovered on the car’s floor.
Gilder reportedly ingested a number of objects while being arrested. The highway patrol officers who were taking him to jail reportedly overheard him add, “I should have thrown them out the window.”
A live scan at Washington County Jail revealed multiple foreign items in Gilder’s stomach after he was taken there. Police believe the items are the Tiffany earrings he took with him as he left the store. The total worth of the two pairs is $769,500.
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At the jail, Nayee recognized Gilder in a lineup.
Gilder apparently asked jail personnel, “Am I going to be charged with what’s in my stomach?” when he was there.
The recovery of the earrings by the police is not confirmed in court documents. According to a Washington County Jail officer, Gilder was not present when the earrings were retrieved.
According to authorities, Gilder is being held at the Orange County Jail at the moment.
According to court documents, Gilder was charged with robbery using a mask and first-degree grand theft.
Police claimed that although though Gilder was not wearing a mask at the time of the heist, the fact that he was wearing a hat, an arm bandage, and a gauze nose covering “indicates by state statute” that he committed robbery with a mask because the objects were meant to hide his identity. They are both felonies.
Gilder was accused with a nearly identical heist from a Tiffany & Co. store in Texas in 2022, according to police, who searched Gilder’s criminal history.
Additionally, he is being held on 48 different Colorado “failure to appear” warrants.
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