Two burglars went to extremes to break into an Encinitas jewelry store.
“It’s devastating. You don’t expect this at all,” said Zoe Moher, who owns Three Sisters Jewelry Design.
Just after 2 a.m. last Thursday, in the alley behind the store, surveillance cameras picked up two men, one wearing a hoodie, the other man with construction safety gear, holding what appears to be a trash picker.
A photo shows where they headed next. A tacked-up piece of wood covers a hole. Deputies say the two sawed open the siding, opening a doggie door-sized hole in the back of the jewelry store.
Mohler can't believe what she saw next.
“It’s like a blob. What is that? You can seen him crawling on the ground,” said Mohler.
Surveillance footage shows one of the burglars in a sheet, crawling around the back of the store. The thieves got away with hundreds of pieces, mostly custom made jewelry - totaling between $10- and $12,000.
Back in the alley, more than two hours after they were first spotted, video shows the two men hauling away their loot, along with their getaway car.
They got away because the alarm – which detects movement around doors and windows - was not triggered when the wall was opened. The store has beefed up security measures inside the shop to prevent a repeat.
“You feel violated. They clearly were watching us. They knew where to go. It’ s hard to see someone open up the wall, come in and just take what they please,” Mohler.
The thieves did make some mistakes. They left several items, including a glove, along with plenty of fingerprints throughout the shop.
If you have any information on this burglary, call Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
