Police are investigating a theft from a car parked near 52nd and Market that left the owner, a 74-year-old man, short of about $140,000 worth of gold jewelry.
The incident happened at around 12:15 p.m. on Tuesday when the man parked his car, a Lexus SUV, and went to the nearby Cash for Gold store. He left a duffel bag inside his vehicle containing approximately $140,000 worth of various jewelry items, including rings, necklaces, bracelets and earrings, according to police.
The man told police that he was inside the store for about 5 minutes. When he returned to his car he noticed that the front passenger side window was smashed and the bag with jewelry was gone.
Police are searching for the male theft suspect, who was riding a mountain bike. Witnesses told police that the man broke the car window with a hammer and took the bag. Police say they have surveillance video of the incident from a nearby store and that the investigation continues. We’ll update when we have more information.
September 3rd, 2014 at 12:33 pm
Is it just me, or is there a strong aroma of fish?
September 3rd, 2014 at 12:56 pm
I agree with Corey. This seems very suspicious. I doubt someone who is wealthy enough to be in possession of $140,000 worth of legally-obtained gold jewelry is going to decide to take it all at once to a cash for gold store on 52nd and Market.
September 3rd, 2014 at 1:52 pm
Well aren’t you two just the urbane, not-to-be taken-for-a-ride types. Nobody better try to fool you!
September 3rd, 2014 at 2:13 pm
How can we be certain the headpho–gold didn’t belong to the guy on the mountain bike?
September 3rd, 2014 at 4:41 pm
This comment is directed Mostly to KT & Guest:
See, it’s because of people like you; who don’t bother checking the facts, who think the police gives out the exact info to the public (which they NEVER do), AND who think they can Outsmart everyone around you, (Remember the Michael Brown story??!!) That this world is turning upside down the way it is!!!
And to “And that proves?”: Loved your comment!!
September 3rd, 2014 at 5:03 pm
Re KT: the man robbed was a wholesale gold dealer. (http://6abc.com/news/$140000-of-gold-stolen-from-car-in-west-philadelphia/291853/) Totally makes sense that he would have had inventory in the car that he was in the process of transferring…
September 3rd, 2014 at 5:52 pm
someone who leave 140k worth of gold in their front seat on 52nd, instead of locking in there trunk is obviously in the wrong business, or there is a bit of insurance fraud going on…
September 3rd, 2014 at 8:03 pm
Smells like fraud to me…
September 4th, 2014 at 2:05 pm
To Israeli Girl: Like Fred Walton says, if you’re in the gold business, and you leave 140k worth of gold in your car on 52nd, you are either committing fraud or stupid. There’s a reason banks move money around in armored vehicles. I don’t know what info the police could have left or changed, short of lying about the entire premise of the story, that would make this untrue.
September 11th, 2014 at 9:51 am
When I park my car, I don’t even leave my cellphone charger laying out on the front seat. This guy leaves a bag full of jewelry in plain sight? This is 100% fraud.
September 11th, 2014 at 10:12 am
sounds like the sexy sequel to the spellbinding, bedazzling, quirky, ‘smash-and-grab hijinx of the Clooney masterpiece, “Ocean’s Twelve”