Suspects Wanted in $7K Burglary of Downtown Encinitas Jewelry Shop: Sheriff's Dept.

ENCINITAS, CA — San Diego County Crime Stoppers and the San Diego County Sheriff's Department asked for the public's help Thursday to locate two men wanted in connection with an alleged jewelry heist from a downtown Encinitas shop.

The burglary occurred between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. on Sept. 15 at Three Sisters Jewelry in the 900 block of South Coast Highway, in the Lumberyard shopping center, according to a news release from Crime Stoppers and investigators with the North Coastal Sheriff's Station.

"Two men broke into the business by cutting a hole on the wall in the back of the store," authorities said. "They took $7,000 worth of jewelry. Damage to the store is estimated at $800."

Allegedly, two men were seen casing the store just before the burglary — one of whom was seen in surveillance video posing as a maintenance worker, authorities said.

The suspect was wearing a yellow fluorescent vest, white hard hat, light colored pants and T-shirt. He was also carrying a stick used to pick up trash from the ground.

The second suspect, authorities said, was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and dark jeans.

The duo reportedly left the scene in a black four-door sedan, possibly a late-1990s Lexus.

Authorities asked anyone who recognizes the suspects or has information about the alleged crime to call the North Coastal Sheriff’s Station at 760-966-3500 or the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at 888-580-8477. Crime Stoppers is offering up to a $1,000 reward to anyone with information that leads to an arrest in the case. Anonymous email and text messages can be sent in via Sdcrimestoppers.org.

Encinitas investigators are also looking for the suspects in two recent alleged jewelry heists from Consignment Classics on South El Camino Real. For more on that case, click here.