Florida men steal $500,000 in jewellery after cutting hole in bathroom wall
Three men have targeted a jewellery store in Cape Coral, Florida, and made off with more than $500,000 in inventory after gaining access through the bathroom wall.
The men managed to get their hands on over 1,000 pieces of jewellery, according to official court documents cited by the New York Times.
They also made off with two firearms, after reportedly assaulting and restraining the store manager on January 6th, 2026.
Ivel Sanchez Rivera, the man accused of being the getaway driver, was arrested, while the Cape Coral Police Department has not yet identified the pair who charged into the location.
The 52-year-old man has been charged with conspiracy to interfere with commerce by violence, interference with commerce by violence, and using and brandishing a firearm in connection with a crime of violence.
The crime was watched by a person with remote access to the surveillance system inside Tio Jewelers.
Subsequently, the person called the police; arriving at the scene, they found the manager inside the shop with his arms restrained by zip ties. He shared that, as well as taking most of the jewellery from the store, they took his Breitling watch, valued at $5,500.
Investigators uncovered that, shortly after midnight, two people pried open the door to the site next to the jewellery store, which is currently vacant.
As such, Investigators found “a large hole” had been cut through the bathroom which neighboured Tio Jewelers. The men entered at around 4:50 am and did not leave until after they completed the robbery.
The police were able to link the getaway driver to the peculiar crime, as they used a license plate reader to connect the black Infiniti car used in the getaway to Mr. Sanchez Rivera. It was also reported that he had one of the firearms taken during the robbery in his possession.