FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A couple driving through South Florida has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of precious family heirlooms after someone broke into their car outside of a Fort Lauderdale pizza restaurant.
Bob and Susan Falk were heading home to Key Largo at the time of the robbery. They had driven up to attend a New Year’s Eve black tie event in Mar-a-Lago.
Susan said she brought all of her precious jewelry and family heirlooms for the event.
“My wife had all her ballroom gowns and her jewelry, and she brought it up for my daughter also,” said Bob.
“Necklaces, diamonds, sapphires with earrings to match. Twenty-six carat sapphire, my furs, my evening gowns,” Susan said were among the items stolen.
Susan carried the valuables inside a Hartmann carry-on bag and the furs in a matching garment bag.
When the couple left to return to Key Largo the next day, they made a quick stop at an Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza in Fort Lauderdale. However, Susan said, she noticed a suspicious vehicle following them.
“As I pulled off of Federal Highway, a car was right behind me. They turned into the same parking lot that we went into, parked right next to us,” Susan said.
A short time later, a police officer walked into the restaurant to let them know someone broke into their black Escalade.
“They knocked out the [back] window and crawled through the window — never opened the doors, ’cause that would set off the alarm,” Bob said. “They’re very smart. They knew what they were doing, and they grabbed my wife’s suitcases.”
“These are things I’ve been collecting for years, assuming that when I’m gone, both of my children would get all of the things that I wore and loved and they loved,” Susan said.
The family is now offering their own reward of $7,000 on top of the Crime Stoppers reward of $3,000.
“It’s very heartbreaking that someone can just do it without a thought or a conscience; it’s really terrible,” Susan said.
If you have any information on this theft, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $10,000 reward.
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