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CrimeApr 08, 2015
Reward being offered in Philly abduction, robbery
The Philadelphia mayor’s office is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for the abduction, beating and robbery of a 53-year-old jewelry store employee over the weekend.
A photo of the suspects’ van as shared by the Philadelphia Police Department. It is a 1997-2002 burgundy Ford Econoline with tinted windows on the extended portion of the passenger side and is smeared with either a compound or white paint.
Philadelphia--The Philadelphia mayor’s office is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for the abduction, beating and robbery of a 53-year-old jewelry store employee over the weekend.
According to the Philadelphia Police Department, at 4 p.m. on Saturday, the woman--identified in news reports as an employee of National Watch & Diamond Exchange, located in the area of the city known as Jewelers’ Row--was walking to her car inside a parking garage when she was approached by three men who forced her into a van.
Over the next hour, she was beaten and tasered and reportedly asked for the keys to the store and codes to the safe, which she did not know. Eventually, the men forced her to turn over her bank codes and personal information before releasing her in a cemetery.
She was treated at a local hospital for a concussion and hematoma on her right eye, as well as multiple bruises, contusions and scratches, police said.
WATCH: Surveillance video of the suspects’ van as shared by the Philadelphia Police Department
On Wednesday afternoon, the Philadelphia Police Department posted an article on its blog noting the fact that the mayor’s office is offering a reward in the case. The blog also contains photos of the suspects’ van, descriptions of the three men, video surveillance footage and information for contacting the police department to submit a tip.
John J. Kennedy, president of the Jewelers’ Security Alliance, said the JSA has been in contact with Philadelphia police as they work to track down the suspects in this case.
He said while there was very little the victim in this case could have done to prevent what happened, incidents such as this serve as a reminder that jewelers and their employees have to be as vigilant off-premises as they are when they are in and around the store.
Though off-premises crimes are down dramatically from what they were years ago due to the fact that there are fewer traveling salespeople on the road, the number of off-premise crimes increased from 40 in 2013 to 58 last year, the JSA’s annual crime report shows. Parking lots were near the top of the list of most frequent locations for off-premises crimes, topped only by highways/streets.
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