Jewelry and gems worth millions stolen from Brink’s truck in Southern California

Jewelry and gems worth millions — a conservative figure put the value at up to $10 million — were stolen from a Brink’s armored truck near Los Angeles last week, the security company said, leaving some victims wondering how such a theft could have occurred.

The merchandise was loaded onto a Brink’s truck from an event hosted by the International Gem and Jewelry Show on July 10 in San Mateo, near San Francisco, said Brandy Swanson, the group’s event director. She said the truck had been en route to another exhibit 370 miles away at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena.

But under circumstances that have not been made public, the merchandise was taken from the truck near Los Angeles early last Monday, said Dana Callahan, a spokeswoman for Brink’s.

The value of the stolen merchandise, which included several gold and diamond necklaces, was not immediately clear. It was also not clear how many pieces were taken.

One of the jewelers, who requested anonymity over security concerns given the expensive jewelry he handles, estimated the total value of what was stolen to be between $20 million and $50 million. Callahan said it was less than $10 million.

“According to the information the customers provided to us before they shipped their items, the total value of the missing items is less than $10 million,” Brink’s said in a statement. “We are working with law enforcement, and we will fully reimburse our customers for the value of their assets that were stolen, in accordance with the terms of our contract.”

The jeweler said that Brink’s was not being transparent with the jewelry owners and that many basic questions about the loss remained unanswered.

Neither authorities nor Brink’s disclosed details about what had happened, including where the theft occurred and whether anyone was injured.

A spokeswoman for the FBI said the agency was working with local authorities but could not provide more information. In its statement, Brink’s called the episode “a loss incident.”