An Orlando man, Jaythan Gilder, faced charges for allegedly stealing luxury earrings from a Tiffany & Co. store and swallowing them to evade capture. After being monitored in a hospital for over two weeks, police successfully recovered the expensive jewelry.
Thief Swallows $769K Tiffany Earrings, Florida Police Recover Gems After Hospital Monitor
Thief Swallows $769K Tiffany Earrings, Florida Police Recover Gems After Hospital Monitor
Orlando police retrieve expensive earrings from alleged thief after a bizarre two-week ordeal.
In an extraordinary turn of events, Orlando police have successfully recovered two pairs of Tiffany & Co. earrings valued at a staggering $769,500 after an alleged thief swallowed them in an attempt to escape justice. The suspect, 32-year-old Jaythan Gilder, was arrested on February 26 after allegedly posing as an assistant to an NBA player in order to gain access to high-end jewelry.
Gilder is accused of sneaking out of the store with two sets of diamond earrings while distracting employees. In the process, he also reportedly dropped a diamond ring worth $587,000. Upon his arrest, officers observed Gilder swallowing what they believed to be the earrings.
Sent directly to an Orlando hospital, Gilder spent more than two weeks under surveillance as detectives monitored his progress. Orlando Police Department stated that the case "quickly turned into a marathon, not a sprint" as they waited for the earrings to be expelled from his system.
On March 12, the police successfully recovered the fourth earring after checking with Tiffany's, where the master jeweler confirmed the serial numbers matched those of the stolen jewelry. As the process unfolded, Gilder reportedly remarked, "I should have thrown them out the window" while being transported to jail. He is currently in custody in Orange County Jail facing charges that include robbery with a mask and grand theft in the first degree.
Additionally, law enforcement noted that Gilder has a criminal history that involves a similar robbery at a Tiffany & Co. store in Texas and that there are 48 active warrants for his arrest in Colorado. The case has raised eyebrows not only for its bizarre nature, but also for its implication on luxury retail security and theft prevention.
