In a brazen overnight heist, multiple suspects used a tool to cut through the roof of a coffee shop and stole cash and merchandise from an adjacent jewelry store in Simi Valley.
According to Jonathan Youssef, the owner of the 5 Star Jewelry & Watch repair, his family-owned business on Cochran Street was targeted just before midnight on Sunday.
The suspects entered the business through a coffee shop next door, and video submitted to KTLA shows one of them belly-crawling through the coffee shop so he wouldn’t be detected by motion sensors. He then spray-painted the camera lens so that it could not view what was going on.
KTLA 5’s Jennifer McGraw reported that the thieves appeared to know “exactly what they were doing,” as they broke into the coffee shop, drilled a hole through the wall and 6 inches of sheetrock and accessed the store’s safe.
Youssef, through tears, reiterated that claim, saying that his family lost everything they had and now faces an uncertain future.
“It’s a hit – [my father’s] retirement, my future…I have a young family and three daughters,” he said. “It’s a lot to have to rebuild from, especially because my dad is 71…he can’t work forever.”
“He was literally on his way out to retire,” he added. “I just ordered the sign, actually, to close on Mondays so he doesn’t have to come in anymore.”
Elaborating further on the family-owned nature of the store, Jonathan Youssef said his father Jacob started his business from the ground up.
“My dad built this business, piggybacked from his other business that he [had been running] his whole life and sold that to start this jewelry store 25 years ago,” he said, adding that he took over the store in 2015.
Jacob, speaking to KTLA, said the store was “his life.”
“I feel bad because this was my life, my retirement…they got everything we had,” he said. “I don’t know what to say…I’m 71 years old…I cannot rebuild what I did in my lifetime.”
According to the father and son, the thieves not only got away with the store’s merchandise, but they also took items belonging to customers.
“I will try to come to [Jonathan’s] aid and keep up the business, because I gave him the business and he’s the one controlling it,” Jacob said. “All I hope [to get back] is the customers’ stuff, because that’s all we’re worried about right now.”
No descriptions of any suspects connected to the jewelry heist have been released. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Simi Valley Police Department.
The Youssefs have started a fundraiser to help alleviate costs and start the recovery process; a link to donate can be found here.
