By Joseph Michalitsianos For Dailymail.Com
Published: 14:31 EDT, 14 July 2022 | Updated: 14:31 EDT, 14 July 2022
Police are looking for a trio of thieves that were seen conducting a bold daylight jewelry heist in Elmhurst, Queens, at a Zales Jewelry store at Queens Center mall.
Two men and one woman, believed to be in their mid-20's, were seen walking into the store just before 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 6.
The woman acted as a lookout as the two men went to a glass display case and removed the paneling, before reaching in and grabbing the loot.
The men managed to snag around $111,175 worth of jewelry, police said.
After taking the jewels, the trio fled from the mall in an unknown direction.
The NYPD released surveillance footage of the thieves in an effort to gain information that will bring about their arrest. They have no further updates on the case as of Thursday, July 14.
A spate of other robberies and heists has made it necessary for NYC residents to be extra cautious.
The three suspects in the Zales Jewelry store heist are seen entering the mall, both men wearing white caps and the woman in a white shirt and jeans
The men took off with over $111,000 in jewelry as the woman acted as a lookout
Queens Center mall, where the three thieves entered the Zales Jewelry and lifted over $111,000 worth of jewelry
On July 4, a 46-year-old woman in the Bronx was violently assaulted and robbed of her jewelry in her apartment building.
Police said the suspect, described as a man in his 30's known by 'Tetere,' approached the woman from behind before striking her in the chest and forcibly removing her jewelry.
On July 11, a 72-year-old man was attacked and robbed while descending a staircase at 7th Avenue and West 42nd Street subway station's 1 line in Times Square.
The man was struck several times in the face by the suspect, who then took off with the man's personal items, including a wallet that contained approximately $350.
In June, two different white Jeeps were seen driving up to senior residents and drawing them close to the cars by saying they were tourists from Dubai.
Once the seniors were within arms reach, the thieves would reach out and grab the jewelry from the victims before driving away.
Police are also searching for a man who is connected to 10 robberies across four boroughs between June 21 and July 4.
The suspect is wanted for two burglaries on the Upper West Side where he and another man threatened store owners with knives before attempting to steal cash register money, and managed to take $3,000 from one of the stores.
In the last week, the NYPD reported 1,020 grand larceny cases, an increase of 56.9% from the same time last year. They also reported 286 burglaries, an increase of 15.3% from last year.
According to the NYPD, the city's current crime rate is approximately 13.3 major crimes per 1,000 residents per year. The combined rate of violent crimes – rapes, murders and felony assaults– adds up to 2.8 per 1,000 residents per year.
Grand larcenies are up nearly 50% so far this year compared to the same time in 2021, according to NYPD statistics.
Citywide, major crimes in New York are up 38 percent so far this year compared to last year
The Zales Jewelry heist also came just after a violent Fourth of July weekend in New York City, further amplifying the calls to make the city safer.
Police said shootings over the holiday weekend spiked 60 per cent compared to last year.
The massive increase comes after Mayor Eric Adams promised to keep New Yorkers safe over the holiday weekend.
'We are going to use every tool in our toolbox to provide New Yorkers a safe and enjoyable July 4th holiday weekend,' Adams said.
Adams has made a considerable push to get illegal guns off of the streets of New York City, resulting in murders being down 13 percent from last year, and shooting victims have dropped 9 percent.
But major crimes in New York are up 38 percent this year compared to last year, with robbery up 39 percent, burglary rising 34 percent, and felony assault jumping 19 percent.
In late June, President Joe Biden signed into law legislation that marks some of the biggest changes to federal gun law in decades.
'Lives will be saved,' Biden said during the signing ceremony in the Roosevelt Room of the White House.
'From Columbine to Sandy Hook to Charleston, Orlando, Las Vegas, Parkland, El Paso, Atlanta, Buffalo, Uvalde, and for the shootings that happen every day in the streets that are mass shootings, we don't even hear about the number of people killed every day in the streets. Their message to us was to just do something,' the President said.
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