A mall on Florida’s Treasure Coast was targeted in an “elaborate rooftop heist,” but their target was not what you’d expect.
The thieves ignored the mall’s jewelry stores and went after shoes – lots and lots of shoes.
“Not quite the Crown Jewels — but it’s clear these sneaker thieves put the same time and effort into their crime,” the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said, referencing a recent heist at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
“Thieves cut their way through the concrete roof of the Treasure Coast Mall, dropping into the Champs Sporting Goods store and stealing hundreds of pairs of Nike shoes. The stolen merchandise was bagged, tagged, thrown off the roof, and loaded into a getaway vehicle.”
The mall is in Jensen Beach and the theft happened between midnight Monday, Oct. 20, and 8 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 21, the sheriff’s office said.
It’s suspected between 300 and 400 pairs of shoes were taken, mostly Nike and New Balance shoes that are “high end” and expensive, the sheriff’s office said at a press conference posted on YouTube by WPEC.
Around 100 pairs were found abandoned on the roof, perhaps due to the thieves being frightened away, Sheriff John Budensiek said at the news conference.
It’s suspected more than one person was involved, and it remains unclear how they got onto the roof, officials said.
No alarm sounded during the burglary, due to the system being focused on intrusions via doors, officials said.
However, a motion sensor camera was tripped, and it shows a couple of “completely covered up” people moving around the store, Budensiek said.
“These are not just the kids from down the road doing a fly-by-night burglary. These are organized crime criminals that are probably traveling criminals that made their way to Martin County (and) got off with a sizable amount of product,” Budensiek said.
It’s estimated the stolen shoes were valued in excess of $40,000, officials said.
Jensen Beach is about as 115-mile drive north from Miami.