In brief
Police arrested Jaythan Gilder after he feigned being a celebrity's assistant to steal the jewelry, and he faced multiple charges including robbery and grand theft.
Police in Orlando, Florida, have successfully recovered two pairs of Tiffany & Co. earrings worth a staggering $769,500 after an alleged thief swallowed them in a bizarre twist of events. The suspect, identified as 32-year-old Jaythan Gilder, was taken into custody on February 26 and spent over two weeks under medical supervision for the purpose of retrieving the stolen items.According to law enforcement, Gilder had posed as an assistant to an NBA player in order to gain access to exclusive high-end jewelry within a VIP room at the Tiffany & Co. store. After successfully distracting employees, he managed to flee the scene with two sets of earrings, as well as accidentally dropping a diamond ring valued at $587,000 during his escape.Upon their pursuit of Gilder, officers reportedly observed him swallowing what they believed to be the stolen earrings. While being transported to jail, he bizarrely lamented, "I should have thrown them out the window," and later inquired whether he would be charged for the contents of his stomach.Following an x-ray showing foreign objects in his abdomen, police moved Gilder to an area hospital where he was monitored until the earrings were expelled from his system. After 14 days, on March 12, authorities successfully retrieved the earrings, which were later verified by Tiffany's master jeweler as the stolen items.Currently in custody at the Orange County Jail, Gilder is facing serious charges including robbery with a mask and grand theft in the first degree. Further investigations revealed that he has a troubling legal history, including a 2022 robbery at a Tiffany & Co. store in Texas and 48 existing warrants for his arrest in Colorado.
