Burglars break in through roof in Bronx jewelry store heist

FORDHAM (WABC) -- It was an elaborate heist that was executed in the middle of the night - reminiscent of something you might see in the movies. However, the heist from inside Abbasi Jewelry on Fordham Road was real.

According to police, the suspects first knocked down cameras outside a nearby Chinese restaurant, then scaled the wall and connecting roof, where they used professional tools to cut a 3-4 foot hole in the jewelry store's ceiling. Eyewitness News spoke with a roofer that the store owner called right after the break in.

"What I seen up there was a big hold - must have been somebody who knew that they could get inside the store through the roof," said George Santiago of Tri-Boro Roofing, "he must've brought the proper tools to cut the metal underneath the roof."

Meanwhile, workers inside say surveillance video shows that the thieves knew exactly what they wanted, and where to find it.

"It looks like they knew where the camera was - they turned on all the lights in there, and they were wearing masks covering themselves," says employee Shakeel Malik.

Malik adds that they took about an hour and a half to cut the safe, and then they took the only gold and they left.

Investigators estimate more than $100,000 worth of jewelry and cash was stolen from the safe and display cases inside. While they continue to collect evidence and clues, they're hoping someone who may have seen or heard something will step forward.

The jewelry store shares an adjacent space, and police say $2,000 worth of perfume was also stolen from the neighboring space.