Why the JSA Is Issuing a ‘Red Alert’ This Fourth of July

New York—The number of stores having their power lines cut by potential burglars continues to climb, the Jewelers’ Security Alliance reported last week.

After issuing a “red alert” on power-line cutting Thursday, JSA President John J. Kennedy told National Jeweler Monday that six more stores had their power interrupted over the weekend, all in Florida.

The outages were determined not to be accidental (i.e., due to lightning or a widespread blackout) and five happened in one town, which Kennedy said is not uncommon. Perpetrators often target multiple stores in the same area, then sit and wait to see which store is the most vulnerable.

None of the stores were robbed, he said, because the jewelers were aware that it was an issue—JSA has been sending out alerts about power-line cutting since the spring—and called police.

Prior to the past weekend’s power outages in Florida, JSA reported three other recent, similar incidences of note.

On June 23, suspects cut the power lines to a jewelry store in Yorba Linda, California, that was closed because it was Sunday. The owner’s family came by to check on the store and noticed the cameras and alarm weren’t working so they called the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Sheriff’s deputies staked out the store and caught two of the four suspects when they broke in and started smashing cases with a crowbar. The other two fled in a vehicle, police said.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department identified the suspects as 22-year-old Almendra Yeliann Marchant Torres and Andres Ismitt Hidalgo Duarte, 29. As of Monday, both remained in custody and were ineligible for bail.

A similar incident took place around the same time in the Kansas City area.

JSA said on June 22, a Saturday, suspects cut the power to five stores around the same time and targeted one, a store in Leawood, Kansas.

At that store, they pried open the rear door and unsuccessfully tried to break into the safe, which Kennedy said is common in many, though not all, of these incidences. The perpetrators come through the doors, roof or walls and try to get into the store’s safe, even if they have to spend a few hours inside to do so.

In the Leawood store, JSA said the suspects stole a “large quantity” of jewelry from the showcases as well as a back-up drive for the computer before fleeing. No arrests have been made.

And,