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JSA Issues Warning to NJ Jewelers After Rash of Smash and Grabs
Nine New Jersey jewelers have been victims of smash-and-grab robberies this year, prompting JSA to circulate a list of recommendations.
Since the beginning of 2026, jewelers in Jersey City, Union, Perth Amboy, Newark, Orange, Edison, Wayne, Iselin, and Bogota, New Jersey, have been targeted by smash-and-grab robbers. Last week, the Jewelers’ Security Alliance circulated a list of a dozen tips to prevent or mitigate losses and keep everyone safe.
New York—A total of nine jewelers in the Garden State have been victims of smash-and-grab robberies since the start of the year, prompting the Jewelers’ Security Alliance to issue an alert for New Jersey jewelers.
According to JSA, the most recent smash-and-grab robbery happened Sept. 2 at a jewelry store in Bogota, New Jersey, a town in Bergen County.
According to a report from News 12 New Jersey, four individuals were involved in the robbery, which happened on a Wednesday afternoon.
One person shattered the front door of JJB Gold Jewelry with a sledgehammer while three others ran inside and busted the showcases before fleeing with an estimated $500,000 in merchandise.
A witness reported that the robbers fled in a gray Acura.
The store’s owner told News 12 that the perpetrators were inside the store for less than a minute.
Related stories will be right here …
According to JSA, the most recent smash-and-grab robbery happened Sept. 2 at a jewelry store in Bogota, New Jersey, a town in Bergen County.
According to a report from News 12 New Jersey, four individuals were involved in the robbery, which happened on a Wednesday afternoon.
One person shattered the front door of JJB Gold Jewelry with a sledgehammer while three others ran inside and busted the showcases before fleeing with an estimated $500,000 in merchandise.
A witness reported that the robbers fled in a gray Acura.
The store’s owner told News 12 that the perpetrators were inside the store for less than a minute.
In last week’s weekly crime alert, JSA said the Bogota robbery mirrors others that’ve been happening across New Jersey since the beginning of the year.
According to JSA records, they are as follows: Jan. 15 in Jersey City; Feb. 18 in Union; April 8 in Perth Amboy; May 6 in Newark; May 15 in Orange; May 26 in Edison; June 16 in Wayne; and Aug. 8 in Iselin, a crime that resulted in a $1 million loss.
JSA’s No. 1 recommendation in the event of a smash-and-grab robbery is not to resist and to get out of the way of the perpetrator or perpetrators, as they may be armed with guns in addition to hammers.
As for the showcases, JSA recommends having burglary-resistant, laminated glass on the front and sides, which can prevent or mitigate losses.
If robbers can only make a small hole in the showcase, it limits the amount of merchandise they can steal and they often will cut themselves when reaching through these little holes, leaving behind their DNA.
High-value inventory, including luxury watches, loose diamonds, and gold, should be distributed among several showcases, not all housed in one.
It also can be “prudent” to keep some high-value inventory in the safe, JSA noted.
JSA also recommends that jewelers have buzzers on their doors, audible glass-breakage alarms on their showcases, and armed, off-duty police officers or uniformed guards in the store, all of which can be deterrents.
Other tips include keeping a logbook of suspicious incidents; sharing information with other jewelers, police, mall security (if applicable), and JSA; and properly training employees to spot the signs that the store is being cased.
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