Armed Robbers Snatch Luxury Watches in Upper East Side Smash-and-Grab Heist: Police

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Armed robbers stormed a luxury watch retailer on the Upper East Side, smashing display cases and making off with watches valued at a combined $300,000, police told Patch.

Two masked men entered the Jaeger-LeCoultre store on Madison Avenue near East 63rd Street around 10:40 Monday morning, police said. When they got inside one man brandished a handgun and forced the three store employees to the ground, police told Patch.

As one robber controlled the employees his accomplice smashed display cases with a hammer, police said. The robbers snatched five watches worth a combined $300,000 and fled the scene, police told Patch.

One of the robbers was wearing a black coat, black baseball cap and sunglasses and the other was wearing a gray coat, a multi-colored ski cap and sunglasses, police said.

Police released video footage of the dramatic smash-and-grab heist:

Police are still investigating the incident and have not made any arrests, an NYPD spokeswoman told patch.

Anyone with information on these two men is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) for Spanish. The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website, or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) and entering TIP577. All tips are confidential.

Photos: NYPD