In a brazen theft that has left a family-owned business reeling, Meza's Jewelry on Main Street in El Monte was stripped of its treasures, the owners arriving Sunday morning to a scene of desolation where nearly everything had been taken. According to ABC7, the thieves made their way in by breaching the roof, descending into the back room, where they meticulously relieved the store of over $1 million in gold and jewelry.
Israel Meza conveyed to ABC7 a chilling timeline of the events, noting that "The alarm system went off at 9 p.m., and then in one of the videos, we see them leaving our shop at 5:40 a.m.," suggesting a calculated, overnight operation had taken place, in a burglary where even the security equipment wasn't spared. This is not their first encounter with crime; in 2023, they endured and actively repelled a smash-and-grab attempt, captured dramatically on surveillance footage.
As per CBS News Los Angeles, the loss is more than material for store co-owner Rosanna Meza, who reflected on the devastating impact: "It was our life ... and our dreams," she said, "They took everything from us." The precision of the theft has led to the realization that these were not impulsive burglars but rather "professionals," who methodically disabled the store's lifelines—internet, security alarm, cameras—completing their heist in darkness and silence.
This incident in El Monte is but one among a worrying spike of sophisticated jewel thefts across Los Angeles County; notable for their audacity, these criminals have employed tactics such as using a blowtorch to infiltrate the Encino Jewelry Mart earlier in June, and rooftop entries to target other stores in Glendale and Simi Valley earlier this May, explained CBS News Los Angeles.
With a path to recovery that is anything but certain the Meza family has turned to their community for support, sharing a candid plea on Instagram: "All of our hard earned work gone in a second :/ anything helps even buying from us will help us all of it is gone #robbery #elmonte #sgv."
