At least six people robbed a jewelry store in the Bronx in August 2022, officials said. Two have been detained and charges have been brought against them.
Photo courtesy of the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York
Two men have been arrested after federal prosecutors say they used bear spray in the robbery of a New York jewelry store, stealing $800,000 worth of merchandise.
About an hour before sunset on Aug. 10, while many businesses were preparing to close, the crew at least six people walked into a jewelry store on a busy four-lane road in the Bronx, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
They were wearing black ski masks and were carrying spray cans, hammers and at least one handgun, prosecutors said.
Upon entering, one man fired bear spray at an employee behind the counter, temporarily blinding him.
“At very close range, pressure can cause permanent eye damage– reports the Interagency Grizzly Committee.
Another man then began smashing the glass display cases with a hammer, according to the news release.
The crew then stole about $800,000 worth of jewelry from drawers and other parts of the store before fleeing the scene on foot, in a car and on a moped, prosecutors said.
The two suspects, Pablo Valenzuela, 32, and Aaron Miller, 23, were later identified by prosecutors through a combination of surveillance footage and cellphone data. Miller’s Instagram photo showed him wearing a “distinctive» A pair of patterned shorts that were seen during the robbery, according to court documents.
Both were arrested this week and charged with multiple felonies in connection with the armed robbery and could face decades in prison, according to federal authorities.
McClatchy News was unable to reach attorneys for Miller and Valenzuela.
“Robberies have become more brazen, and the perpetrators must be held accountable,” FBI Assistant Director Michael Driscoll said in a release.
They were there 13,831 robberies were registered in New York in 2021, up slightly from the previous year, according to city data.
Of the five boroughs of New York, the Bronx has the most the highest crime rateaccording to Gothamist, a local news site.
