Thieves took “Just Do It” to a whole new level.
Masked robbers cut a hole in the concrete roof of a Florida mall before dropping in to steal 400 to 500 pairs of Nike and New Balance sneakers, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office announced this week.
According to authorities, the robbery occurred in the back storage room of a Champs Sporting Goods at Treasure Coast Mall in Jensen Beach between midnight and 8 a.m. on Tuesday.
“Not quite the Crown Jewels — but it’s clear these sneaker thieves put the same time and effort into their crime,” the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post. “The stolen merchandise was bagged, tagged, thrown off the roof, and loaded into a getaway vehicle. As you can see, some of the goods got hastily left behind.”
The stolen merchandise is estimated to be worth between $40,000 and $50,000 and it will cost $10,000 to repair the hole, according to the sheriff’s office.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Sheriff John Budensiek said the daring robbery seemed like it was straight out of a movie.
“We had a burglary that we discovered yesterday that appears to be right out of ‘Mission Impossible,’” Budensiek said. “I watched the national news — saw what happened across the pond where they stole the crown jewels, and this is a one-off of that,” he said, referencing the Louvre jewelry heist over the weekend.
“These are organized criminals that are probably traveling criminals that made their way to Martin County, got off with a sizable amount of product,” he added. “They didn’t do that with a handsaw. They used electric tools — probably a grinder or saw — and somehow worked for hours without being detected.”
The crime is still being investigated, but tips can be reported to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office at 772-220-7060.
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