Thieves who stole about $95,000 in jewelry from Artisan’s Alcove in Cape May, May 8, are alleged to be part of an interstate shoplifting ring.
Artisan’s Alcove owner William Scott said FBI agents were in Cape May Friday to interview him about the theft in which perhaps six people were involved. Scott said five people entered the store when only one employee was there. A sixth remained outside, apparently connected to the inside group by cell phone. He said one man remained outside with earphone in his ears and a cell phone in his hand. At one point on the security tape, a man inside the store appears to communicate with someone via a cellphone device.
Security camera footage clearly shows the faces of two individuals, a man and a woman, who were the first to enter the store and speak to the store employee. The couple was described as black and in their 50s. The employee described the man as dressing like a “Nation of Islam” member, in a grey suit with a bow tie, and very well spoken, with a standard American accent. The woman might have had a slight African or Jamaican accent.
The man is clearly seen on video recordings taking jewelry from the jewelry case and handing it to a woman wearing what appears to be a Muslim woman’s head scarf. The items were taken while the other three individuals, two men wearing baseball caps and a woman wearing a floppy hat, drew the employee’s attention from the other two and block her view.
She told the Gazette the thieves might have noticed a fixture at the top of one wall with wires coming out of it and assumed the security camera was not working. However, the entire episode was recorded. Scott said at one point an individual took out his wallet and a photo ID was picked up by the camera. He said the FBI hoped to be able to blow up the image to identify the individual.
Scott said the glass tops of the jewelry case had just been cleaned less than an hour before the theft and police were able to pick up good fingerprints.
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