Police are looking for four men who brazenly walked into a Webster Avenue jewelry store and used a hammer to smash at least one display case, before fleeing on foot down a busy Webster Avenue with over $2 million in gems.
Officers from the 46th Precinct were called to Rocco’s Jewelry, located at 2521 Webster Avenue just south of the northern Fordham Heights border at 2:38 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 5.
According to a police source, “An unknown individual approached the front door and was buzzed inside of the store by an employee. The individual then held the door open for an additional three individuals.
Once inside the store, the three individuals used a hammer to smash open the display case and removed a large amount of high-end diamond jewelry.”
The police source added that the suspects placed the jewelry in bags and then fled southbound on Webster Avenue. The total value of the stolen gems was estimated at $2.15 million.
Norwood News asked the police source if the incident was connected to at least three other similar robberies of jewelry stores that had taken place across The Bronx in the last few months.
The official replied, “Can’t confirm at this time.” Police officials also could not immediately confirm if a handgun was used during the heist.
Upon arrival, police immediately pulled down the stores’ iron gate. However, a smashed display case could be seen from the street, along with broken glass and other debris on the floor.
Upon request by Norwood News, police released surveillance photos of the four suspects. The first suspect who entered the store is described as male, is in his 20s, has a dark complexion, a slim build and was wearing a black baseball cap, a white T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers and black sunglasses.
The other three suspects are described as male, also in their 20s, have dark complexions, each has a slim build and all were wearing dark clothing, dark-colored face masks and gloves.
Anyone with information regarding 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 CrimeStoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, or on Twitter @NYPDTips.
All calls are strictly confidential.
Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.
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