FBI Chicago offers $15,000 reward for tracking down Halloween masked thieves in jewelry store robberies

CHICAGO – After a series of four jewelry store robberies involving suspects wearing Halloween masks, federal agents are seeking the public’s help in identifying them and offering a Reward of $15,000.

The FBI described the incidents as premeditated and not random acts.

Two of the armed robberies occurred in the suburb of Bridgeview, at Jerusalem Jewelry in January and at Jawahir Jewelry on July 13, 2023.

Although the owners declined on-camera interviews, they stated that they have increased security measures.

Agents are looking for four people working together as a team, wearing Halloween masks that resemble Slenderman and a character named “Uncle Bobby.”

“One thing that struck us in particular is the speed at which this is happening. It seems like they are almost rehearsing this. So it is no coincidence that these stores were hit in this way. They were clearly planned in advance,” he said . Evan Hylton, a special agent with FBI Chicago.

The suspects are said to have targeted at least four companies. The first known robbery occurred in July 2023 at Jawahir Jewelry on Harlem Avenue, where three armed suspects entered. One held the door open while another brandished an AR-style rifle before they began looting.

“They took the customers and laid them on the ground and had one of the subjects take cell phones out of his pocket and hit them on the ground so they couldn’t call the police,” Hylton said.

The out-of-state incidents involved a store near St. Louis and another in Dearborn, Michigan, on August 7, 2024. When the suspects hit the Michigan store, they briefly held two victims hostage with a hammer before killing them escaped.

Hylton confirmed no physical injuries occurred, but expressed concerns for public safety.

“It appeared the armed individual had his finger on the trigger throughout the entire robbery. So there’s something that, again, we take very seriously. This is why we are reaching out to the public to get these people off the streets.” as soon as possible,” Hylton said.

He advised jewelry store owners to be particularly vigilant when admitting people.

Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI or stop by tips.fbi.gov.