Thief Steals $54K Worth Of Items From Upper East Side Jewelry Store With Celebrity Clientele
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police were on the hunt Friday evening for a robbery suspect who targeted an Upper East Side jewelry store that has catered to celebrities, including Beyonce and Kate Winslet.
As CBS 2's Jennifer McLogan reported, a 53-year-old manager at the Margo Manhattan jewelry store was choked, assaulted, thrown to the ground, and tied up while a thug posing as a customer ransacked the place around 1:50 p.m. Friday.
"He grabbed her in a headhold and pushed her down," the owner said. "He tied her hands behind her back."
On the walls of the store, located at 1202 Madison Ave., are photos of Beyonce in a Margo Manhattan necklace, as well as other stars including Selena Gomez, Kate Winslet, and Alexa Ray Joel.
Police said the suspect removed a key from the victim to open a display case and took jewelry from there. He then returned to the back room where he removed additional items.
He even stole the employee's purse, cash and credit cards as she lay shaking on the floor, fearing for her life, McLogan reported.
Among the stolen items was a pendant that Beyonce had worn personally in a music video.
"He also got a whole bunch of interlocking heart rings I did for Selena Gomez. He got a bunch of things out of the safe -- 18 caret white gold, diamonds, amethyst and a big chunky bracelet," the store owner said.
When it was time for the suspect to leave he had no way out and nearly became violent again, until another employee happened to return.
"My other production manager came back and she clicked open the door and he ran out the door, cause there was no other way for him to get out," the owner said.
The two employees got a good look at the thief. They're with police, who are expected to release a sketch of the suspect.
The robber is described as a black male, last seen wearing a black baseball cap with a Brooklyn Nets logo, blue jeans, black T-shirt, black belt with a silver colored buckle and a beaded silver chain.
He managed to get away with approximately $54,000 worth of jewelry.
Anyone with information regarding the robbery is urged to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS.
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