Safe company worker may have helped trio of Midtown burglars who stole $6M worth of diamond jewelry
- A safe manufacturing company boss may have helped a trio of burglars
- Police had suspected heist was inside job since thieves didn't have to crack safes
- The trio allegedly stole $6m worth of jewelry including 18-karat gold bracelets
- The three unidentified males are still at large
A boss at a safe manufacturing company may have helped the trio of Midtown burglars who stole $6m worth of diamond jewelry on New Year's Eve.
Police said the individual might have given the combination numbers to two of his company's safes to the robbers.
The three unidentified men waited until the New Year's Eve ball dropped to pull off a multi-million dollar diamond jewelry heist in Midtown Manhattan.
The heist took place inside KGK Holdings jewelry wholesaler at 70 W. 36th St., in what is now all but confirmed to have been an inside job.
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Two unidentified males were captured on surveillance footage using a hammer and crow bar to break into KGK Holdings jewelry wholesaler in Midtown Manhattan
The heist took place inside KGK Holdings jewelry wholesaler at 70 W. 36th St., in what appears to be an inside job. A boss at a safe manufacturer may have helped the trio
But one thief may be identified soon - due to his rookie mistake of looking directly into the surveillance camera.
Police told the New York Post: 'He's not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree.'
The thieves didn't have to crack the safes when they got inside.
'The safes were opened. They didn't even have to pry', police told the New York Daily News.
During this time, thousands of police were patrolling Times Square just a few blocks away.
'They laid in wait until the ball dropped', police told the New York Post.
The thieves snuck into the sixth-floor offices of Gregg Ruth, a commercial jewelry store owned by KGK Holdings, and allegedly made off with $6 million worth of gems
They climbed the fire stairs to get inside the building, waited in the stairwell and at 12:01am they broke into the office, possibly using the noise from the nearby New Year's celebrations as cover
The trio allegedly stole diamond-encrusted and 18-karat gold bracelets, earrings and necklaces.
The diamonds are GIA certified, so each has a unique engraving.
In the surveillance video, a bearded white male wearing a hoodie and a backpack can be seen banging a hammer for several seconds.
At one point, he looks straight into the camera.
His accomplice, wearing a hoodie and face mask, makes numerous attempts to break the surveillance camera with a hammer.
During the heist, thousands of police were patrolling Times Square just a few blocks away
They used a hammer and crow bar to gain entry into the building through the freight entrance to the sixth floor at about 10pm, as revelers gathered at Times Square.
Once they were inside, the trio snuck into the sixth-floor offices of Gregg Ruth, a commercial jewelry store owned by KGK Holdings known for its rare yellow and pink diamonds, and allegedly grabbed the gems from two safes.
Police said one of the safes wasn't locked.
A security guard posted in front of the business said the company had no security officers protecting the premises before the robbery.
The wholesaler reported the theft at 3pm on Sunday.
Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.
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