A habitual jewel thief was caught on police body worn camera swallowing $770,000 worth of stolen Tiffany & Co. diamonds to avoid arrest.
Jaythan Gilder, 32, was pulled over about 330 miles outside of Orlando, Florida, on February 26 after troopers were warned to ‘be on the lookout’ following a robbery at Tiffany & Co. earlier in the day.
He had allegedly posed as a representative of an NBA player seeking to purchase diamonds. When he was taken to a private room, he snatched two sets of diamond earrings worth $609,500 and $160,000 and fled the store.
Extraordinary body camera footage from his arrest was obtained by The Smoking Gun and captured the moment an officer noticed Gilder.
The jewel thief was handcuffed and being led to the patrol car, ‘was talking with a closed mouth and was moving an object around… using his tongue.’
An officer quickly lunged at him while two other cops rushed to help, ordering Gilder to open his mouth and spit out the contents as they held him face down by the throat.
‘You’re about to get tased,’ one trooper told him as he refused to comply.
Moments later, a second said: ‘He swallowed something.’
The officers grabbed Gilder’s jaw and throat, fearing he may have swallowed narcotics. He had a white substance on his lips which he later said was a cold sore cream.
Extraordinary body camera footage captured the moment an officer noticed Gilder, who was handcuffed and being led to the patrol car, ‘was talking with a closed mouth and was moving an object around… using his tongue’
An officer quickly lunged at him while two other cops rushed to help, ordering Gilder to open his mouth and spit out the contents as they held him face down by the throat
Gilder was arrested and taken to hospital, where he reportedly refused an X-ray. He was scanned at jail and ‘foreign objects’ were detected inside his body
A search of Gilder’s rented car yielded price tags and earring cards for Tiffany & Co. products, leading officers to determine he had swallowed the diamonds.
Gilder was arrested and taken to hospital, where he reportedly refused an X-ray. He was scanned at jail and ‘foreign objects’ were detected inside his body.
He reportedly asked: ‘Am I going to be charged with what’s in my stomach?’
Upon return to hospital, Gilder reportedly ‘refused to take any laxatives and claimed to be a practicing Muslim who would only eat after sundown and before sunrise due to it being the holiday of Ramadan.’
This slowed recovery efforts, but after two weeks in mid-March, the Tiffany & Co. diamonds were reportedly passed naturally.
Early on March 10, officers discovered two stones while tracking Gilder’s excrement. But it was later determined these ‘were not the earrings from Tiffany & Co.’
They were of little value, but work was being done to determine where they had come from.
Hours later, Gilder passed two of the diamonds allegedly stolen from Tiffany & Co., and two days later on June 12 he passed the final diamond.
After two weeks in mid-March, the Tiffany & Co. diamonds were reportedly passed naturally
A search of Gilder’s rented car yielded price tags and earring cards for Tiffany & Co. products, leading officers to determine he had swallowed the diamonds
Back in February 2022, Gilder was arrested for stealing diamonds from a jeweler in Colorado and allegedly swallowed them when he was confronted by police
According to the publication, the diamonds underwent rigorous cleaning at Tiffany’s Master Jeweler and were returned to the company. It is unclear if they have since been sold.
Back in February 2022, Gilder was arrested for stealing diamonds from a jeweler in Colorado and allegedly swallowed them when he was confronted by police.
They were never recovered. He remains in custody facing charges of robbery and grand theft.
Gilder attempted to be released from custody to attend his mother’s funeral in Texas, but bail was denied.
He is also wanted in Colorado after fleeing the region when he posted bail.
