A Troy woman walking through her own subdivision on Halloween was called over to a car holding five people, and what happened next left her violated and out thousands of dollars in gold jewelry. Police say that once she got close, a passenger grabbed her and began kissing her on the face, then grabbed her wrist and placed a small pile of jewelry in her hands.
The incident unfolded in the 1600 block of Jackson Drive sometime between 1 p.m. and 6:18 p.m. on Halloween, according to ClickOnDetroit. Police said the woman was walking in her subdivision when a car carrying five people pulled up and called her over.
The same passenger then grabbed her wrist and placed a small pile of jewelry into her hands.
Victim Discovered the Theft Only After Returning Home
It wasn't until the woman got back home that she realized what had actually happened. According to police, she then noticed that her gold necklace and a bracelet were missing, even though the suspects had left other jewelry in her hands during the encounter.
The outlet's report is split on the exact dollar figure: the article's body states the stolen gold necklace and bracelet were worth $20,000, while the headline describes the haul as worth more than $20,000. Either way, police say the group made off with a substantial amount of gold.
Troy police are now searching for all five people believed to be connected to the assault and robbery. Anyone with information about the suspects is urged to contact the Troy Police Department.
Not the First Distraction-Style Theft in Troy
This isn't the first time Troy residents have been targeted by a group using distraction tactics to pull off a jewelry theft. In June, a woman near Paradise Fruit Market on East Big Beaver Road was approached by a vehicle carrying three occupants around 4 p.m., according to The Oakland Press. In that case, the occupants put jewelry in her hand to distract her, removed her gold bracelet, and left her holding fake gold instead — police did not release a value for what was taken.
Similar distraction thefts have cropped up elsewhere in Oakland County as well. A May 2025 report from clickondetroit.com described two separate incidents that same month, including a Bloomfield Township gas station theft where a victim later discovered his gold Rolex missing, valued by police at $12,773. Another case detailed in that report involved a man's gold bracelet disappearing after he was approached by a man and a woman at the same Paradise Fruit Market in Troy.
Earlier distraction-style thefts also occurred in Oakland County. For now, investigators are focused on identifying the five people in the car and asking anyone with information to come forward.
