Police: Burglars sought in Oceanside Costco jewelry theft

Two burglars are being sought in the after-hours Christmas Eve theft of jewelry from Costco in Oceanside, police said.

At least one of the suspects hid in the store after closing, Nassau County police said Friday.

Police did not disclose the value of the items stolen in the burglary discovered by Fourth Precinct officers responding to an alarm at 10:57 p.m. on Dec. 24.

On arrival officers found “that a large jewelry case had been pried open” at the store on Hampton Road, with jewelry missing. A search of the building failed to locate any suspects.

Police said that the subsequent investigation revealed — through in-store surveillance footage — that an unknown man had been caught on camera “prying open the jewelry case with an unknown object.” That suspect then removed the jewelry and loaded it into a blue bag, police said. He then fled the store on foot — leaving in an unknown direction.

A second suspect was also observed earlier with the first suspect, walking around near the jewelry case, police said.

That suspect also was seen leaving the store on foot.

Both men wore black clothes. One wore a black hooded sweatshirt, black pants and black sneakers and had a beard. The other wore a black leather coat and a black wool hat.

Detectives are asking anyone with information regarding the incident to call Crime Stoppers at 800-244-8477.

All calls will remain confidential.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”