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Man accused of swallowing $800K diamond earrings
A man accused of stealing and swallowing close to $800,000 worth of diamond jewelry from Tiffany & Co. was previously convicted of stealing from the luxury retailer.
ORLANDO, Fla. - A Texas man who claimed to represent an Orlando Magic player interested in purchasing nearly $1 million in jewelry from Tiffany & Co. allegedly swiped two pairs of earrings. He then allegedly ate the earrings – worth more than $700,000, officials said.
Law enforcement took a scan of the man's stomach, which showed a bright, shiny "foreign object" in his stomach, believed to be the stolen earrings, according to the affidavit.
Photos included in the arrest report issued by Orlando Police Department. Scan courtesy of Washington County Sheriff's Office.
Texas man pretended to represent Orlando Magic player
The backstory:
According to the Orlando Police Department (OPD), Jaythan Lawrence Gilder, 32, was caught on camera snatching two pairs of diamond earrings from the Tiffany & Co. at the Mall of Millenia on Wednesday, Feb. 26.
A man, later identified as Gilder, walked into the store without an appointment and claimed to be representing an unknown Orlando Magic player, according to the arrest affidavit.
Gilder was eventually taken to a VIP room where he was shown several pieces of jewelry:
- 4.86 carat diamond solitaire earrings ($160,000)
- 8.19 carat solitaire earrings ($609,500)
- 5.61 carat diamond solitaire ring ($587,0000)
During the interaction, Gilder is seen on surveillance video grabbing the jewelry from the counter and attempting to leave the room. He struggled with the sliding glass door – and forced them open. The employees who were in the room tried to grab the jewelry out of his hand, but Gilder grabbed and pushed the employee's arm, the report said.
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Security footage of Tiffany & Co. robbery in Orlando
A man accused of stealing nearly $770,000 worth of jewelry from Tiffany & Co. at the Mall at Millenia has been arrested, according to the Orlando Police Department.
According to an arrest affidavit, the employee was injured trying to stop gilder from leaving the store. Gilder was able to get out and make it to a car.
How police tracked and found the alleged suspect
According to the arrest affidavit, police reviewed surveillance video at the mall to locate the suspect's vehicle. They can track him using public safety cameras and his apparent movements in the days before.
Police located Gilder's vehicle on Interstate 10 in the Florida Panhandle, appearing to be headed towards Texas. Florida Highway Patrol conducted a traffic stop. FHP said he resisted their efforts and was arrested on related charges.
The X-Ray
According to the arrest report, Gilder swallowed several objects as he was being arrested in Washington County. Once at the jail, officials conducted a live scan and notified "foreign objects" in his stomach.
Officials believed those were the missing earrings from the Tiffany & Co. store in Orlando. Officilals are now waiting for those objects to be "passed through" his system.
An X-Ray showed items believed to be the stolen merchandise inside Gilder’s stomach. The earrings have a combined weight of 13.05 carats, worth $769,500.
Officials: 48 failures to appear
Authorities found Tiffany & Co. earring forms, price tags, receipts, and a cell phone in his vehicle, according to the arrest report. A check of his history, according to authorities, showed 48 failure to appear warrants out of the state of Colorado. It was not immediately clear what case those were related to.
Dig deeper:
Same alleged heist in 2022?
From swipes to smash-and-grabs, records show Gilder has been arrested multiple times for theft. His arrest records span back at least 13 years. Rings to Rolexes, court records show his target always appears to be expensive jewelry.
In 2022, Gilder was busted after stealing from another Tiffany’s store, this one in the Houston area. Forensics detectives out of Montgomery County tied him to the crime using DNA evidence from a single hair left at the scene. Per the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, the hair came from Gilder’s beard. It was found after he dropped a mask he had allegedly worn during the heist.
In a pawn shop theft from 2014, Gilder’s blood was recovered at the scene, after he used a pickaxe to break into a jewelry case.
In 2023, documents show Gilder was sentenced to two years in a Texas jail – with 192 days credit.
The charges
He was booked into jail on two charges:
- Robbery with a mask
- Grand theft
What's next:
As for the earrings, while in jail, Gilder reportedly asked if he would be charged for what was inside his stomach. He also told officers he "should have thrown them out the window."
Once Gilder passes the items seen in the X-Ray, detectives will be able to confirm if they are in fact the stolen earrings.
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The Source: The information comes from the Orlando Police Department and the arrest warrant submitted to an Orange County Judge, which included the alleged narrative, surveillance photos, witness statements, and investigative details.