Dramatic surveillance video shows the moment a trio of robbers — one swinging a sledgehammer — smashed their way into a high-end Park Avenue jewelry store over the weekend.
The brazen heist took place around 3:30 a.m. Saturday at Cellini jewelers in the 400 block of Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan.
The NYPD, which released the video, said the thieves got away with more than $500,000 in merchandise.
The footage shows the three intruders — all of them wearing hoods, masks and gloves — busting through the first set of doors at the store, then using a sledgehammer to breach the second glassed entryway, giving them access to the interior.
Surveillance video from the NYPD shows three suspects busting into Cellini jewelers on Park Avenue early Saturday. NYPD
The crooks used a sledgehammer to smash their way into the business, which was closed for the night. NYPDWithout wasting a moment, the bandits proceed to smash and knock down display cases to plunder their contents, which they stuff into prepared sacks.
At one point, the crooks shatter several adjacent glass stands and grab handfuls of pricey watches, too.
“A full inventory of the items removed is pending at this time,” cops said in a statement. “The estimated value of the items removed is over $500,000.”
The robbers fled the ransacked store on foot before jumping into a gray or silver sedan, an NYPD spokeswoman said. The getaway car sped off east on East 56th Street, the rep said.
In the video, the burglars are seen knocking over glass display cases to steal their valuable contents. NYPD
Cops said the bandits got away with more than $500,000 in merchandise. NYPD
All three suspects wore hoods, masks and gloves to obscure their faces and cover their tracks. NYPDCellini carries a wide array of high-priced baubles, including diamond petal earrings that go for $12,000 and a Pave diamond oval and bar yellow-diamond gold cuff bracelet that runs $17,600, according to the store’s website. The shop also sells a Girard-Perregaux tourbillon watch that fetches $172,000.
As of Monday morning, no arrests have been made in connection with the burglary. The NYPD is now asking for the public’s help in tracking down the suspects.
According to NYPD’s latest crime statistics, burglaries and grand larcenies were up more than 31% and 41% respectively, while robberies have seen an increase of 35.5%, compared to the same time last year.
Overall, major crime in New York City has surged by more than 31%.
