A jewelry store owner in New Jersey says a group of thieves managed to wipe out his entire inventory, stealing more than a million dollars worth of merchandise in mere minutes.
“Whatever I built in five years, disappeared in five minutes. Like nothing—boom,” owner Gustavo Sanchez said last week.
Sanchez was left picking up the pieces of what was left of his jewelry store, Gustavo Oro 14k, on Jersey City’s West Side Avenue. Inside, tubs of shattered glass and empty cases showed the signs of Thursday’s brazen heist — all of it, caught on camera.
Video shows at least four masked individuals approach and use large hammers to bust out the store’s front windows to gain access. Once inside, the crew smash cases and grab all the jewelry they can.
“They took a lot of jewelry, like 14 carat gold, diamonds, 18 carat gold,” Sanchez said.
In total, more than $1.5 million worth of merchandize was taken, Sanchez told News 4.
“I was crying yesterday like a baby because, you know, I’ve been working for five years and it never happened,” he said a day after the robbery.
Employees of the store were able to get to a safe space and were not injured, Sanchez said. In the meantime, he hopes Jersey City Police can track the thieves down as he figures out how to secure his business and make up for his loses.
“We’re going to be back. We’re never going to give up,” he said.