Simi Valley, California – A group of skilled thieves broke into two businesses in Simi Valley overnight and stole cash, gold, and high-end watches worth nearly $2 million. Surveillance video caught the scary moment the thieves pulled off a well-planned heist that left the business owners broke and trying to deal with their loss.
The crime happened over the weekend in the 2800 block of Cochran Street. The suspects went after two nearby stores, Dr. Conkey’s Candy & Coffee and 5 Star Jewelry and Repair. Ted Mackel, who owns Dr. Conkey’s, thinks that the thieves used his business to get into the gold store next door. “They must have planned everything.” Mackel, who was one of the people broken into, said, “It was like they were professionals.”
Mackel says the thieves got into the building through a small door behind the bathroom on the roof above his store. Cameras inside the store show the thieves sliding across the floor and drilling through the wall to get into the jewelry shop next door. Right away, they went straight to the safe at 5 Star Jewelry and Repair and stole everything valuable.
The owner of 5 Star Jewelry and Repair, Jonathan Youssef, said the break-in was terrible. In the last 25 years, he and his father, Jacob, have built their business by repairing family heirlooms and high-end items and gaining customers’ trust. “At first, we thought everything was fine, but then we opened the safe,” Youssef said. “That’s when we realized they got away with everything – all the gold, luxury watches, and irreplaceable pieces we had in our store.”
The stolen items are worth about $2 million. They include a huge collection of expensive gold and watches that Youssef and his father worked hard to get. It was even worse that a lot of the stolen jewelry belonged to customers who had given them family keepsakes to fix. “People we lost are more important than the business itself.” “They gave us their valuable things, and now it’s all gone,” Youssef said.
The thieves struck during a four-hour window in the middle of the night. The victims are now battling to deal with the financial and emotional damage. Youssef talked about how personal the loss is for his family because the stolen jewelry wasn’t just a piece of junk; it was the result of years of hard work and commitment. “They took more than just our business.” Their plan was to take my dad’s income and my future. “Everything we worked so hard for is gone,” he said.
Mackel agreed with Youssef and talked about how it affected their close-knit community. “These are the people you go to church with and the kids’ school friends.” It feels personal when things like this happen. He said, “It’s completely terrible.”
The two businesses are working hard to get back on their feet after the shock and sadness. Youssef and Mackel are already looking into ways to get loans to replace the stolen gold and start making the family heirlooms again. Though they are still hoping that they will get over the loss, they say it will take a lot longer for their emotions to heal.
As of right now, police haven’t shared any descriptions of the suspects or arrested anyone. The Simi Valley Police Department is still looking into the crime and wants anyone with information to come forward. Youssef and Mackel are both left to pick up the pieces after a crime that has rocked their community to its core and hope that justice will be done.
“This article was written by Mathew Owen. AI tools were used lightly for grammar and formatting, but the ideas, words, and edits are all mine.”
