Man arrested after possibly swallowing nearly $800,000 in jewelry stolen from Orlando mall, police say

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Write your text here...A Houston man accused of snatching over $1.3 million worth of jewelry from Tiffany & Co. at Orlando’s Mall at Millenia was arrested after allegedly swallowing some of the stolen goods, according to police records.

Jaythan Lawrence Gilder, 32, was taken into custody on Feb. 26 and later re-arrested on an Orange County warrant for robbery with a mask and first-degree grand theft. He remains in the Orange County Jail.

Authorities say Gilder posed as a representative for an Orlando Magic player to gain access to high-value items in a private showroom. Once inside, he allegedly grabbed a diamond ring worth $587,000 and two pairs of earrings valued at $769,500. An employee attempted to stop him, slapping the ring from his hand, but Gilder managed to flee with the earrings. The employee suffered injuries during the struggle, requiring medical attention from Orlando Fire Department responders.

Security footage captured the heist, and police tracked Gilder’s car to the Florida Turnpike and later to I-10, heading toward Texas. Florida Highway Patrol pulled him over for driving without rear lights and discovered he had swallowed multiple objects while resisting arrest. A scan taken at Washington County Jail revealed several foreign items inside his stomach, which officers suspect are pieces of the stolen jewelry.

According to an arrest affidavit, Gilder asked jail staff, “Am I going to be charged with what’s in my stomach?” and later told troopers, “I should have thrown them out the window.”

Gilder has a history of similar thefts, including a near-identical 2022 robbery at a Tiffany & Co. in Texas. Records also show he has 48 outstanding failure-to-appear warrants in Colorado.

Authorities are waiting for the ingested items to pass before confirming if they include the stolen jewelry. Meanwhile, Gilder remains behind bars, facing multiple felony charges.