ORLANDO, Fla. — A Houston man, Jaythan Lawrence Gilder, 32, was arrested after stealing nearly $800,000 worth of jewelry from the Tiffany & Co. store at the Mall at Millenia in Orlando. According to police records, Gilder may have swallowed the stolen items during his attempted escape.
On February 26, Gilder entered the Tiffany & Co. store and, under the guise of negotiating a sale for an Orlando Magic player, asked to see several high-value items. Once taken to a private room, Gilder grabbed two pairs of earrings, including a diamond earring, worth a combined $769,500, and attempted to flee. He was confronted by an employee but managed to escape with the earrings, while the employee sustained visible injuries during the altercation.
Surveillance footage of the robbery was obtained, showing Gilder’s actions as he fled the store. Orlando Police responded to the scene and quickly tracked Gilder to the parking lot. Law enforcement identified his vehicle and found it traveling northbound on the Florida Turnpike towards Texas, where the car had been rented.
Gilder’s vehicle was later stopped by Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) for a traffic violation. When stopped, Gilder resisted the officers and reportedly swallowed several items during the arrest. A live scan at the Washington County Jail revealed foreign objects in his stomach, which authorities suspect to be the stolen jewelry. Gilder is expected to undergo a medical procedure to retrieve the items once they pass through his system.
Gilder faces multiple charges, including robbery with a mask and first-degree grand theft, and has a criminal history, including a similar incident involving Tiffany & Co. in Texas in 2022. He was arrested and booked into the Orange County Jail.
Gilder’s arrest is part of an ongoing investigation, and authorities are awaiting the recovery of the stolen jewelry from his system.
