Charlotte-Mecklenburg detectives say they know who swiped thousands of dollars in jewelry from a Myers Park shop last month, and they are now trying to track the suspects down with the neighborhood’s help.
Police have obtained arrest warrants for two men, identified as David Niculescu and Fernando Rostas, in connection with the theft. Investigators are asking Myers Park residents to stay alert and report any information that could help locate the pair.
Detective Ashley Phillips told WBTV that a viewer tip to Crime Stoppers was the key that unlocked the case. "In recent weeks we have had community tips and those community tips actually led to the identification of both suspects," Phillips said. Warrants are now in place, and detectives say they are asking the public for any information about where Niculescu and Rostas might be.
Surveillance Video Shows Calm Suspects Before Jewelry Vanishes
Before the theft, investigators released surveillance footage showing two men casually moving around inside the Myers Park jewelry store, as reported by WBTV. The shop owner told police the pair "had hard-to-pinpoint accents, but they were very jovial, very calm, they didn’t seem nervous at all," hardly the look of men about to pull off a high-dollar grab.
Later, the owner discovered several high-value pieces missing from the display cases and called police, kicking off the investigation that has now zeroed in on the two named suspects.
Part Of A Bigger Retail Theft Problem
The Myers Park case is playing out against a national backdrop of rising retail theft and organized retail crime, much of it targeting jewelry and other luxury goods and putting added pressure on smaller shops trying to recover and stay afloat.
In its 2025 study, the National Retail Federation reported that retailers saw an 18 percent increase in shoplifting incidents in 2024 compared with 2023, along with a rise in threats or acts of violence during those incidents. Researchers say those trends have nudged many businesses to beef up security and lean harder on partnerships with law enforcement.
How To Share A Tip
Anyone with information about David Niculescu or Fernando Rostas is asked to contact Charlotte Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600 or submit a tip online through Charlotte Crime Stoppers. Tips can be submitted anonymously, and tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward if their information leads to an arrest.
