Police: Man stole jewels on Worth Ave., fled on scooter before ending up in Intracoastal

Kristina Webb, Palm Beach Daily News
Updated ·3 min read
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A Lake Worth Beach man faces several charges after Palm Beach police say he smashed the front window of a Worth Avenue jewelry store, stole thousands of dollars' worth of merchandise and then tried to escape — first by land, then by sea — or by the Intracoastal Waterway, to be exact.

And while police say the man dropped evidence into the waterway, a dive team was able to recover much of it within hours, hauling precious gems and an electric scooter — on which he fled — from the floor of the Intracoastal.

Palm Beach police officers responded about 2:20 a.m. Tuesday to a burglar alarm going off at the David Yurman store at 249 Worth Ave. While officers were on their way to the store, another officer reviewing the town's network of surveillance cameras spotted the 29-year-old man with dark, curly hair near the store, according to an arrest report and a police spokesperson's account.

A board covers a cracked window at David Yurman along Worth Avenue Tuesday afternoon following an early morning smash-and-grab burglary at the jewelry store.
A board covers a cracked window at David Yurman along Worth Avenue Tuesday afternoon following an early morning smash-and-grab burglary at the jewelry store.

When an officer tried to stop the man near the intersection of Worth and Hibiscus avenues, the man drove away from the police on an electric scooter.

The officer ran after the man, who continued to flee on his scooter, driving west down Worth Avenue, through Via Parigi and onto Peruvian Avenue, police said. Another officer joined the chase on Peruvian.

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When the man got to the Intracoastal Waterway, he jumped into the water — with his scooter — at the end of Brazilian Avenue and swam to the first dock, police said.

Officers surrounded the dock and quickly arrested the man, police said.

A man walks past the David Yurman jewelry store on Tuesday.
A man walks past the David Yurman jewelry store on Tuesday.

When investigators questioned the man, he admitted to the theft, police said. But he did not have any jewelry on him when he was arrested, they noted. The man used a blow torch and a hand axe to break into the business, which the man said he learned how to do by watching YouTube videos, according to the arrest report.

Meanwhile at David Yurman, front and side windows had been smashed and there was a large pile of broken glass on the ground, police said. Parts of the window display were on the sidewalk, and jewelry was spilled onto the floor inside the store, the arrest report said. Boards covered the holes in the windows Tuesday afternoon.

Palm Beach police pull an electric scooter from the Intracoastal Waterway on Tuesday, Feb. 20. Police said the scooter was used by a man who broke into a Worth Avenue jewelry store and then fled from police to the water, where he ditched his scooter and jewels.
Palm Beach police pull an electric scooter from the Intracoastal Waterway on Tuesday, Feb. 20. Police said the scooter was used by a man who broke into a Worth Avenue jewelry store and then fled from police to the water, where he ditched his scooter and jewels.

A store manager told police the jeweler had lost about $71,000, not including the damage to the windows. The manager said items taken from the front window included two bracelets worth $5,500 and $9,500, an earring worth $7,500 and another earring worth $2,900. Missing from a side window were a necklace worth $13,000, a bracelet worth $15,800, an earring worth $4,800 and a ring worth $2,500.

Because most of the jewelry was still missing, the Palm Beach Police Department's Underwater Search and Recovery Unit, or dive team, searched the area where the man had jumped into the water, police spokesman Capt. Will Rothrock said.

Jewelry stolen from the David Yurman store on Worth Avenue was found at the bottom of the Intracoastal by the Palm Beach Police Department's dive team following a burglary at the store in the early morning of Tuesday, Feb. 20.
Jewelry stolen from the David Yurman store on Worth Avenue was found at the bottom of the Intracoastal by the Palm Beach Police Department's dive team following a burglary at the store in the early morning of Tuesday, Feb. 20.

The search conditions were dismal, with about a foot or two of visibility in water that was 15 feet deep, he said.

Still, the dive team recovered most of the missing jewelry — after first pulling up the man's electric scooter, Rothrock said. Photos provided by police to the Palm Beach Daily News also show that the dive team found an iPhone.

Windows were smashed early Tuesday morning at the David Yurman store on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach by a man who police said fled the scene on an electric scooter before ending up in the Intracoastal Waterway.
Windows were smashed early Tuesday morning at the David Yurman store on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach by a man who police said fled the scene on an electric scooter before ending up in the Intracoastal Waterway.

"We're extremely proud of the quick response time of our officers and the success of our USR unit in recovering the stolen jewelry," he said. "As always, we encourage the public to contact us if they see anything suspicious at any time."

The man faces charges including burglary of a dwelling or structure causing damage of more than $1,000; larceny grand theft of more than $20,000 but less than $100,000; resisting an officer without violence; and possession of burglary tools with intent to use.

Windows were smashed early Tuesday morning at the David Yurman store on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach by a man who police said fled the scene on an electric scooter before ending up in the Intracoastal Waterway.
Windows were smashed early Tuesday morning at the David Yurman store on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach by a man who police said fled the scene on an electric scooter before ending up in the Intracoastal Waterway.

As of Thursday morning, the man was being held in the Palm Beach County Jail on a $307,000 bond, according to court records.

Kristina Webb is a reporter for Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at kwebb@pbdailynews.com. Subscribe today to support our journalism.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Man stole jewels, ended up in Intracoastal, Palm Beach Police say