FL Jewelry Thief Swallows Tiffany Earrings Worth $770K: Police

ORLANDO, FL — A Texas man was arrested after stealing jewelry from Tiffany & Co. at Mall at Millenia in Orlando and swallowing two sets of earrings worth about $770,000 when he was pulled over by state troopers, according to an affidavit for arrest warrant from the Orlando Police Department.

Jaythan Gilder, 32, was charged last month with robbery with a mask in the third degree and grand theft in the first degree, both felonies.

Officers responded to reports of a robbery at the jewelry store on Feb. 26 just before 2 p.m. Employees told detectives that they brought Gilder into a private room to look at jewelry.

Surveillance video footage shows the suspect in the VIP room, investigators said.

The video shows him jumping up from a table and grabbing two pairs of earrings — one pair worth about $160,000, the other valued at $609,500 — and a ring worth $587,000, according to the affidavit.

While an employee was able to slap the ring from Gilder's hands as he tried to leave the room, he was able to run off with the earrings.

Additional video footage showed him leaving the mall in an SUV rented to a woman in Houston, Texas.

Detectives tracked the SUV on the Florida Turnpike North, in Tallahassee and on Interstate 10, which is “the fastest route to take back to Texas,” police said.

Troopers spotted the SUV and pulled Gilder over for driving without rear lights later that day just before 8 p.m. on I-10 at mile marker 123.

He was arrested on separate charges related to resisting troopers during their investigation.

As he was taken into custody, Gilder swallowed several items. A live scan at the Washington County Jail showed foreign objects in his stomach.

They were believed to be the Tiffany earrings taken during the robbery, “but will need to be collected … after they are passed through Gilder’s system prior to confirming,” according to the affidavit.

While in Washington County Jail, he asked staff, “Am I going to be charged with what’s in my stomach?”

He was later extradited to Orange County Jail.