The Cherry Creek Caper: Hyde Park Jewellers' Worst Nightmare
How The 1916 Company's Denver Flagship Became the Target of a Heist for the Ages
I have been sitting on this story for a few days, so as not to interfere with law enforcement initiatives - but having seen this story now pop up on a few small news websites, I figured it was fair game.
In a twist that would make Danny Ocean blush, the Cherry Creek mall in Denver, Colorado has become the stage for a robbery so audacious, it’s practically begging for its own Netflix series. On Sunday, July 21st (or the wee hours of Monday July 22nd), a group of ne’er-do-wells were busy pulling off a caper of epic proportions.
The target was Hyde Park Jewellers, now part of The 1916 Company’s growing empire. This wasn’t your run-of-the-mill smash-and-grab job either. A team of thieves, dressed in maintenance staff clothing, casually strolled through the mall like they owned the place, and had their sights set on a place they had seemingly been scouting for some time.
With extreme precision, they proceeded to cut through the walls, bypassing all the security systems with the ease of a kid navigating an iPad. Alarms, you say? Lol! These modern-day Arsène Lupins knew how to override the alarms quicker than you can say “Watchbox.”
The haul is probably worth over $50 million dollars, but no figures have been released yet. We’re talking high-end jewellery, diamonds, watches, and maybe even pre-owned goods. It is still unclear whether the criminals were able to hit the shipping and service areas - if so, this would mean some unlucky customers are now missing their prized possessions too. I’m not entirely sure how the store is set up, so these details should become clearer as news filters out.
My guess, it is probably this last bit which caused the delay in the news breaking. After all, nothing says PR nightmare quite like having to ring up Mr. Schultz and explain his great-grandfather’s Rolex has gone on a walkabout.
The really good news is, not a single person seems to have been harmed.
Initially, this tale was nothing more than a Twitter rumour. Then, in a twist worthy of an Agatha Christie novel, a security guard confirmed the story... only to find himself becoming a suspect as a result!
As for Hyde Park Jewellers, they’re putting on a brave face. Their flagship store, a fixture in Cherry Creek since 1990, is currently displaying these simple signs. The company's statement (dripping with corporate understatement) referred to the incident as a “security incident and robbery.” That’s one way to describe having your vault cleaned out like a fridge the day before a big grocery delivery!
The feds are now involved, with the FBI joining forces with the Denver Police Department. One can only imagine the scene: hard-boiled detectives poring over security footage, muttering about the ones that got away, while FBI agents in crisp suits try not to look too excited about finally getting a case worthy of the big screen.
As for the mall’s owners, The Taubman Company - they’re about as forthcoming as a Swiss bank manager. Their general manager, JT Fulton, is sticking to the script, deferring all questions to the police:
“Right now, we’re just going to defer everything to the Denver Police Department’s public information officer, that’s all I’m really allowed to say.”
A heist for the ages! A whodunit that would make Sherlock Holmes scratch his deerstalker in bewilderment, and a reminder that sometimes, reality is stranger than fiction. As for the thieves? Hopefully they’re nearly in custody. The 1916 Company declined to comment on an ongoing investigation, which is fair enough.
Happy hunting.
Believe it or not, that “❤️ Like” button matters – it serves as a proxy to new visitors of this publication’s value. If you enjoyed this post, please let others know. Thanks for reading!
I would love to see the video footage on the news. Unless they turned off all the camera, too.
Wow, I'm absolutely shocked this would happen to a store that knowingly hires cocaine addicts. I wonder who could have possibly provided the codes to the "maintenance workers" to bypass the security systems. Hmmm... color me shocked!