Mesquite mall breached, $2 million worth of jewelry stolen from store

A Mesquite mall was broken into Saturday morning and approximately $2 million worth of jewelry was stolen, according to Mesquite police.

An employee arrived Saturday morning and discovered the theft at American Jewelers, a jewelry store located inside of Town East Mall, according to a WFAA-TV report.

The mall is off of Interstate 635 and Town East Boulevard.

When officers arrived, they discovered a concrete wall between American Jewelers and a vacant Sears store was broken through to make entry to the jewelry store, police said.

The Sears at Town East Mall was the last operating Sears store in North Texas before closing in 2021, according to WFAA-TV.

American Jewelers is on the first floor of the mall, which is two stories.

Mall management declined comment Tuesday and referred questions to police. A manager at the American Jewelers store did not immediately return a call.

A store employee told police “a large amount of jewelry” was stolen, estimating its value at $2 million, according to WFAA.

Police were working with mall security to access surveillance footage from inside the mall.

Vikki Schmidt, the manager of another jewelry store in Town East Mall, said she is now taking extra precautions, WFAA reported.

“We put up all jewelry every night. It’s locked in a safe,” Schmidt said. “We have, of course, security systems, cameras, alarms.”

Schmidt is advising jewelry store owners to carry more safety measures at their stores, she told WFAA.

“Motion detectors are really good. I suggest taking pictures of any inventory you have,” she said.

It is unknown if more than one person was involved in the theft. No suspects have been identified.

Police did not indicate the time the break-in occurred.

The investigation is ongoing.

This story was originally published January 17, 2023 at 4:55 PM.