Police are asking for the public's help to identify two men who were caught on video breaking into a Mercer County jewelry store.

 

Screenshot of surveillance video showing a breaking at Trent Jewelers
Screenshot of surveillance video showing a breaking at Trent Jewelers (You Tube)
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Hamilton Tonwship Police said the men smashed several display cases inside Trent Jewelers on Quakerbridge Road at the Five Points intersection in the Mercerville section of Hamilton just before 4 a.m. on Wednesday morning. It took the thieves a mere 30 seconds to make off with several thousand dollars worth of jewelry according to Hamilton Police Captain James Stevens, who said the thieves were wearing bandanas to conceal their faces.

The pair parked their car across the street and walked to Trent's and tried to disable a security light before smashing a side window to get inside the store.

After the robbery, the men ran back to their car and drove down Quakerbridge Road toward Sloan Avenue.

Stevens said video of the robbery has been released in hopes that someone will recognize one or both of the suspects. "Something very small could make a difference. You never know," said Stevens.  The Pontani family was also reviewing recent surveillance video to see if they recognize the suspects.

"We are thankful that none of our staff or family was present at the time. But for any small business, this is a very heartbreaking event," reads a message posted by the Pontani family, the owners of Trent's, on their Facebook page.

The thieves stole $80,000 worth of jewelry, according to 6 ABC, which is not covered by insurance because it was not locked in a safe.

"It's a big loss to us. It's like part of our retirement that we would've worked for," Peter Pontani told the the television station. "It takes so many years in this business to build and then somebody takes it away like that."

The store is offering a $2,500 reward for information regarding the robbery.

One suspect is described by police as a male age 20-25 years old, wearing a blue Under Amour baseball cap, a blue tee shirt with a white emblem on the front, blue jeans, white sneakers with a white bandana covering his face. The second suspect is a dark- skinned male, 20-25 years old, wearing a black tee shirt, dark colored shorts, white and black colored sneakers with a white bandana covering his face.

Anyone with information regarding the case should contact Hamilton Police at 609-689-5824 or the Hamilton Police Crime Tip Hotline at 609-581-4008.

 

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