Man Allegedly Swallows Tiffany & Co. Earrings Worth $769K During Arrest After Robbery at Florida Store

Mar. 15, 2025

Jaythan Gilder, pictured alongside an image of his body scan taken in jail.Photo:Orlando Police Department

Orlando Police Department

A man has been charged after he allegedly swallowed $769,500 worth of Tiffany & Co. earrings following a robbery at a Florida store.

Jaythan Gilder, 32, stole two pairs of diamond earrings from the Tiffany & Co. store at the Mall at Millenia in Orlando on Feb. 26, a spokesperson for the Orlando Police Department told PEOPLE via email.

According to an arrest affidavit, per local media outletsWFLA,Fox 35 OrlandoandWKMG, police said Gilder gained access to the jewelry after he impersonated a representative for an Orlando Magic player who was interested in making a purchase and was taken to a VIP room to see the earrings.

“Gilder forcefully took the earrings and resisted an employee’s attempts to stop him,” police told PEOPLE. “Gilder then ran out of the store and into the parking lot, where he got into a vehicle and fled.”

“When Gilder was taken into custody, he resisted arrest and was seen swallowing several objects believed to be the stolen earrings,” police told PEOPLE. “With the help of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, investigators executed a search warrant to locate the stolen property.”

Jaythan Gilder.Orlando Police Department

A body scan taken in jail then appeared to confirm the investigators’ suspicions as officials spotted “foreign objects” in Gilder’s stomach that they believed to be the missing earrings, per WFLA and Fox 35 Orlando.

According to the arrest affidavit, per the outlet, Gilder “spontaneously asked jail staff” if he was going to be “charged with what’s in my stomach.” The arresting trooper also reportedly heard Gilder say, “I should have thrown them out the window.”

Gilder was charged with first-degree grand theft and robbery with a mask. He also has 48 outstanding warrants out of Colorado, police told PEOPLE.

An image of a Tiffany & Co. store entrance in Florida.Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty

Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty

Fox 35 Orlando reported that “authorities found Tiffany & Co. earring forms, price tags, receipts, and a cell phone in his vehicle,” per the arrest affidavit.

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“A search of Gilder’s criminal history revealed a similar robbery incident in 2022 at a Tiffany & Co. store in The Woodlands, Texas,” police said. According to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, per Fox 35 Orlando, forensics tied him to the theft after a single hair from his beard was found at the scene.

The suspect has been arrested multiple times for theft over the last 13 years, according to the outlet.

source: people.com