A thief posed as a representative for a player for the Orlando Magic basketball team to steal over $750,000 worth of luxury jewelry, then ate the stash during his arrest two days later, police have said.
Jaythan Gilder, 32, told staff at Tiffany & Co. in the Mall at Millenia on February 26 that he represented "a professional athlete” before being taken to a VIP room and shown an array of highly valuable items.
Gilder was "shown several high-value pieces of jewelry, including two pairs of earrings worth $769,500," Orlando police said in a statement.
After a scuffle with a store employee, he then allegedly grabbed the items and fled the scene. Police said the staff member suffered minor arm injuries and was treated at the scene.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by WKMG, Gilder was caught on surveillance footage walking through the mall following the heist, wearing a red shirt, red hat and ripped jeans, before getting into a blue 2024 Mitsubishi Outlander.
Two days later, the Florida Highway Patrol responded to a report that the vehicle had been spotted in Washington County in the northeast of the state.
After being stopped by troopers, the driver, who was identified as Gilder, was "seen swallowing several objects believed to be the stolen earrings," police said.
The earrings later showed up on a body scan taken at the Orange County jail, the arrest affidavit stated.
Detectives said the jewelry was to be collected by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office after it passed through Gilder’s system, but as of Wednesday, it was unclear if it had been recovered.
Gilder was booked into the jail on charges of grand theft, robbery with a mask, and resisting arrest during the traffic stop. He remains in jail and no bond has been set.
The Independent has reached out to the Orlando Police Department for further information about the incident.
According to NBC, Gilder pulled off "a similar robbery" at a Tiffany & Co. in 2022 in The Woodlands, Texas, and has "48 separate warrants out of Colorado.”
