Dec 18, 2007 7:54 pm US/Eastern
Caught On Video: Employees Foil Jewelry Heist
Man Tackled After Trying To Make Off With Rolex Watches
Reporting
Jay Dow
MORRISTOWN, N.J. (CBS) ―
Employees of a family owned jewelry store in New Jersey took matters into their own hands when it came to stopping a robbery suspect.
And the encounter was all caught on tape.
When you're selling diamonds and Rolex watches worth tens of thousands of dollars it helps to have a sales team willing to take a "hands on" approach to security.
That's exactly what happened during an attempted robbery at Braunschweiger Jewelers in Morristown.
"We held him down and rolled him onto his stomach and we did what we could until the police showed up," employee Stephen Connell said.
Connell was one of several employees who tackled 34-year-old Michael Rosario during the Oct. 15 incident.
Employee Lynn Holden said it all started when Rosario, who lives in Belleville and has a lengthy criminal record, walked in and asked to see a pair of his and her Rolex watches -- each worth $20,000.
"This gentleman never made eye contact with me the whole time," Holden said. "He would ask me questions but he would be looking around, kind of scoping the store."
It's not unusual for the sales team to let a customer hold two watches at a time, but Holden says she knew the suspect was up to no good when he snatched a third Rolex out of her hand and wouldn't give any of them back.
By that time, Connell and the others were guarding the exit.
Rosario brushed past a manager and headed straight towards Connell.
"It's pretty brazen, I guess" Mendham resident Celeste Pellegrino said. "(It was) pretty unexpected, but not totally surprising."
Connell is just thankful he was able to do something about the situation.
"We got lucky," he said. "We dodged a bullet."
Luck may have had nothing to do with it.
A month later an alert saleswoman stopped an unidentified man from getting away with a bag of diamond earrings.
But thanks to the alert jewelers Rosario is still in police custody -- with nothing but time on his hands.
Rosario is charged with robbery and giving police a false name.
He's currently being held in the Morris County jail on $100,000 bail.
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