The Jewelers Security Alliance said there is a woman wanted in four grab-and-runs and a crew perpetrating, or attempting to perpetrate, distraction thefts in three states.
New York--In a crime alert circulated Tuesday, the Jewelers Security Alliance warned jewelers of multiple incidences of theft, or attempted theft, being carried out by two separate entities.
The first is a series of grab-and-run thefts allegedly perpetrated by a black woman who is described as being in her late 20s to early 30s, about 5 feet 6 inches tall and 120 pounds.
This security camera still shows the woman wanted in connection with grab-and-run thefts in North and South Carolina. She is said to don various disguises, including a hat, sunglasses and a pink and blue wig.
According to the JSA, on Sept. 29, she entered a mall jewelry store in Columbia, South Carolina while on her cell phone and told the employees she was just looking. She stopped at showcase, asked to see one of the most expensive items in the store and then ran with it.
The suspect visited another jewelry store in that same mall that day but left when employees delayed before removing anything from a showcase, the JSA said.
Prior to the Sept. 19 grab-and-run in Columbia, the suspect is believed to have perpetrated grab-and-run thefts at jewelry stores in Ablemarle, North Carolina (Aug. 26), Gastonia, North Carolina (June 28) and Rock Hill, South Carolina (October 9).
The JSA said the suspect has worn various disguises, including a pink and blue wig with a hat and sunglasses, and a “religious-style scarf” covering her head, neck and shoulders.
She has been spotted fleeing the scene in a four-door compact car that is silver.
In a separate alert, the JSA warned jewelers to be on the lookout for three white suspects--one man and two women--who entered a jewelry store in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, a Pittsburgh suburb, at 2:20 in the afternoon on Saturday, Oct. 7 and asked to see gold chains and bracelets.
According to the JSA’s account of the theft, the sales associate removed an entire tray of merchandise to show them and in the confusion of showing the items, pieces were taken from the tray.
After asking and being told the prices of several items, one of the female suspects pulled out a roll of cash but then said that they did not have enough money and made arrangements to come back the next day.
The same three suspects reportedly also attempted thefts in nearby Morgantown, West Virginia and St. Clairsville, Ohio on Oct. 6.
The male suspect, pictured to the left, is described as being in his 50s, about 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing 250 pounds with a “heavy European accent.”
One female suspect is said to be in her 20s, about 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighing 140 pounds, with brown hair that extends past her shoulders; she is said to be on her cell phone texting the entire time she is in stores. She is pictured above with the male suspect.
The second female suspect, pictured above at right, is described as being in her 50s, about the same height and weighing 200 pounds, and also with a “European accent.”
Michelle Graffis the editor-in-chief at National Jeweler, directing the publication’s coverage both online and in print.
