Oakland, Calif.—In a recent crime alert issued by the Jewelers’ Security Alliance (JSA), two burglars, described as “bumbling,” remain at large following their botched attempt to abscond with a safe from a jewelry store in California.
The incident unfolded earlier this month in Oakland, where, according to JSA, a man and a woman employed a crowbar to forcibly enter a jewelry store under the cover of darkness on March 7. Their plan involved securing a rope to the store’s safe and utilizing a van to pull it out of the premises.
However, their initial efforts were thwarted when the rope, unable to withstand the strain, snapped. Undeterred, the duo returned to the scene around 3:45 a.m., armed with a heavy chain.
Employing the chain, the burglars succeeded in extracting the safe from the store, albeit not without complications. As per JSA reports, they proceeded to drag the safe down the street, inadvertently causing chaos by toppling garbage cans in their wake. Assistance arrived in the form of accomplices driving a Dodge Challenger, who aided in hoisting one end of the safe into the van using a winch.
Despite their makeshift methods, one end of the safe remained in contact with the pavement, resulting in sparks flying as the van accelerated away. Their conspicuous escapade caught the attention of law enforcement, prompting a pursuit by police officers who had observed the van with the protruding safe.
The pursuit reached a dramatic climax near an off-ramp of Interstate Highway 580, where the safe dislodged from the van, landing heavily on the asphalt. Despite sustaining considerable damage during the burglary, both the safe and the targeted store endured, with JSA confirming the preservation of all jewelry items contained within the safe.
Authorities continue their efforts to apprehend the perpetrators responsible for the brazen burglary.
