After nearly a month, hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of diamond earrings have been recovered from a man accused of stealing the jewelry in Orlando, Florida.
The Orlando Police Department Violent Crimes Unit recovered more than $769,000 worth of Tiffany & Co. diamond earrings from Jaythan Gilder, 32, of Houston, Texas, last week, according to a news release.
Gilder was arrested on Feb. 26 for allegedly robbing a Tiffany & Co. store in Orlando, Florida. During his arrest, Gilder was seen swallowing a few items, which police believed were earrings.
More news: Couple sentenced to 375 years collectively for forcing Black children to work ‘as slaves’
‘…a marathon, not a sprint’: Police had to wait for jewels to leave suspect’s system
Tiffany & Co. diamond earrings recovered from 32-year-old Jaythan Gilder, who was arrested on Feb. 26, 2025 for allegedly stealing the earrings from a Tiffany & Co. store in Orlando, Florida.
The day after his arrest, Gilder was transported to a hospital where authorities awaited the earrings to pass through his system.
Detectives recovered three of the four Tiffany & Co. diamond earrings, in addition to two unidentified diamond earrings on March 10, according to a news release. The final earring was recovered on March 12. After recovery and cleaning, detectives took the earrings back to the store, where a master jeweler matched the serial numbers of the items that had been stolen.
“This case quickly turned into a marathon, not a sprint,” Orlando Police Department Violent Crimes Unit Detective Aaron Goss said in a social media videoshared on Friday.
What happened?
Gilder is accused of robbing a Tiffany & Co. store in Orlando, Florida on Feb. 26. Gilder allegedly entered the store and told staff he was negotiating a sale on behalf of a player on the Orlando Magic basketball team. Court records obtained by USA TODAY didn’t specify which player Gilder was talking about.
Gilder, who told staff his name was Shawn, was taken to a VIP room in the store due to the potential size of his purpose, staff told police. Gilder was shown two pairs of diamond earrings and one diamond ring, with a combined value of more than $1 million.
Once inside the room with the jewelry, Gilder jumped from his seat, grabbed the jewelry and tried to escape the room. A store associate tried to stop him but failed, court records said.
Gilder dropped the diamond ring but managed to leave the store, which is inside a mall, with the earrings.
Through surveillance cameras, police were able to identify Gilder’s getaway car, which was en route to Texas. The car was stopped by the Florida Highway Patrol a few hours later. Gilder resisted arrest and was seen swallowing several objects, a news release states.
Currently held at Orange County Jail, Gilder faces charges of robbery with a mask and grand theft in the first degree. Gilder also has 48 separate warrants which, he will face, according to a news release.
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tiffany diamond earrings recovered from suspect who swallowed them
