Orlando Police Arrest Man Accused of Stealing, Swallowing $765K Earrings

A  jewelry thief swiped more than $700,000 in earrings then swallowed the evidence hours before he was arrested for what was “in his stomach”, officials said.

Jaythan Gilder, 32, from Houston, TX, told employees at Tiffany & Co. in the Mall at Millenia that he was a representative of an Orlando Magic basketball player before he was taken to a VIP room and shown several high-end pieces of jewelry.

According to Orlando Police Detective Aaron Goss, during Gilder’s consultation in the VIP room, Gilder allegedly jumped up, grabbed merchandise, and attempted to escape through the sliding doors while violently pushing against them. Store associate Amit Nayee tried to intervene but sustained visible injuries from the struggle. Gilder dropped a diamond ring as he fled the scene but managed to keep the earrings.

Surveillance footage captured Gilder’s getaway car, and police later stopped him on the Florida Turnpike. At the jail, he reportedly asked officers about potential charges related to the items he swallowed.

Gilder faces charges of grand theft and robbery with a mask, despite not being fully masked at the time. He was wearing a gauze nose covering and arm bandage, which police said qualifies as concealment under state law. Additionally, a search revealed he had a similar robbery charge from a Tiffany & Co. store in Texas in 2022 and has 48 outstanding “failure to appear” warrants in Colorado.