Philadelphia

Caught on Cam: Thieves Steal More Than $1 Million in Merchandise from Jewelry Store in Lawncrest

Officials say the thieves stole more than $1 million worth of jewelry.

An investigation is underway after thieves stole more than $1 million worth of jewelry from a store in the Lawncrest section of Philadelphia.

The thieves targeted a jewelry store on the 5500 block of Whitaker Avenue between late Sunday night and early Monday morning. They first broke into the roof of a neighboring dessert shop and tore a hole through the wall before moving into the jewelry store.

Investigators say they first set off a burglary alarm at the store shortly before midnight and then hid when the jewelry store owner responded. After the owner left without seeing anyone the thieves strategically cut phone and cable wires to set off another alarm around 2 a.m. in order to give the impression that it was a false alarm. When no one responded the thieves went to work, breaking through the side of a cement safe and stealing more than $1 million worth of jewelry.

NBC10 obtained surveillance video of the theft. The store was also burglarized in January and police are investigating whether the same suspects were involved. Police are also investigating similar jewelry store thefts in Bucks County and South Jersey that may be connected. 

The owners of the store hope to reopen next week but are currently working on cleaning up the damage.

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