Amid a celebration of the casino's tenth anniversary, three thieves reportedly made off with $200,000 worth of Rolex watches from the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Monday.
Initially the value of the stolen loot was said to be some $500,000, but was adjusted downward once the store was able to make an accurate accounting of what was taken, according to a report by ABC 6 News in Pennsylvania.
Smash and grab style robbery
Around 8:45 pm on Monday night, three African American men walked into the jewelry store located inside the Borgata. Only one employee was on duty at the time.
The three men, one who was wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt, another in a blue jacket, as well as the third in a dark-colored jacket, smashed the glass from two cases and quickly snatched the luxury watches.
Disbelief was in the air as word of the audacious robbery made its way to Atlantic City's famed boardwalk.
"I just can't believe somebody would actually do something like that," said Peter Levanti, who was visiting from Connecticut.
Anyone with information urged to come forward
From remarks made by law enforcement officials, the thieves were apparently well-aware of their target and knew exactly what they were after. The robbery itself lasted only a few minutes, at which point the offenders ran out of the casino and drove off in a dark-colored car.
According to Atlantic City Police Captain Charles Love, "It was definitely a mission statement – they knew what they were doing and they were very precise."
"If any motorists saw a car pull over in the area of the Borgata or Huron Avenue, we’d be interested into talking to those folks," remarked Atlantic City Police Sergeant Monica McMenamin.
If anyone has any information about the robbery, they are being asked to contact the Atlantic City Police Department Criminal Investigations Unit at 609-347-5766.
Not the first brazen casino robbery
While this latest incident is certainly a bold burglary, it definitely is not the first daring robbery to take place at a casino. One of the more remarkable acts of thievery from a casino took place back in December of 2010, when a thief pulled up to the Bellagio in Las Vegas on a motorcycle and sped off with $1.5 million worth of chips after holding up the place at gunpoint.
The suspect was arrested shortly later, in February of 2011. He was discovered to be the son of a local Municipal Court judge.
The judge, George Assad, expressed his dismay at his son's arrest, saying at the time, "I think it goes without saying that as a father, I am devastated and heartbroken to see my son arrested under these circumstances."
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