BAYCHESTER — A pair of thieves posing as customers at a Kay Jewelers in The Bronx snatched a $4,200 necklace that then seemed to vanish into thin air, authorities said.
The male and female suspect came into the store at 200 Baychester Ave. around 3 p.m. on June 9 and asked the saleswoman if she could show them a 22-inch 10 karat yellow gold Gucci chain, according to jewelry store saleswoman Milagros Solis and the NYPD.
Solis gave the necklace to the male suspect, who tried it on before giving it to his partner in crime, who then put the necklace inside of her shirt and gave him another one, police and Solis said.
"He said, 'How does this look on me?'" Solis said. "I said, 'Well, I don’t know, but this is not the one I gave you.'"
Although employees and security confronted the thieves, they were unable to find the real necklace on them, and the suspects were able to sneak past security and flee from the store in an unknown direction while waiting for the police to arrive, according to Solis and the NYPD.
"I thought he had a little pocket in the back of his shirt or something like that because it happened so fast," Solis said.
Video of the theft shows the male suspect wearing the necklace in the store and then giving it to the female suspect, who gives him a replacement necklace that he puts on.
Officers described one suspect as a man between 20 and 30 years old who stands 6 feet tall and was last seen wearing blue jeans, a blue sweater, a dark blue baseball hat and sunglasses.
They described the other suspect as a woman between 20 and 30 years old who stands between 5 feet 4 inches and 5 feet 5 inches tall, has blond hair and was last seen wearing sunglasses, dark pants, a white T-shirt and a blue jean jacket with black sleeves.
Solis said this was the first time someone had stolen from the Kay Jewelers, but she was not intimidated by the experience.
"No, it was not scary," she said. "I was mad."
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or, for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the crime stoppers website at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES), then entering TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.
