Masked Mob Strips Fremont Jewelry Store of $1.7M in Diamonds, Gold in 70 Seconds

Kumar Jewelers had served the Fremont community for more than three decades. It took 70 seconds to strip it.

Surveillance footage released by the U.S. Department of Justice captures what federal prosecutors described as a "takeover-style" robbery at the family-owned shop on Mowry Avenue: a fleet of vehicles screeching to a halt, a stolen Honda ramming down the store's door, and a crew of nearly two dozen masked suspects in dark hoodies flooding the sales floor. Armed with pickaxes and hammers, they moved through the glass display cases with, as federal court filings put it, surgical precision, stuffing gold and diamond jewelry into backpacks before anyone outside had time to react. The entire operation lasted roughly 70 seconds. Authorities estimate the crew made off with approximately $1.7 million in goods, clearing an estimated 75 to 80 percent of the store's inventory.

One suspect allegedly brandished a firearm and forced the store's security guard to the ground while the looting continued around him. No injuries were reported, but the financial and emotional damage was total. "This is my parents' life's work," a family member told local media.

When the crew bolted, they scattered into multiple stolen getaway cars that peeled off in different directions. Because the vehicles were stolen, automated license plate readers provided investigators no immediate leads. Officers were left to make a split-second choice. "Forced to decide which car to pursue, officers continued after a Black Acura, which led them on a pursuit through several residential areas in Fremont," federal prosecutors wrote in court filings. "During the pursuit, the Black Acura passed other vehicles on the wrong side of the road, ran stop signs at multiple intersections, and reached speeds of approximately 80 miles per hour while veering across lanes." The Acura eventually crashed. The men inside fled on foot and were apprehended.

Four suspects were subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of robbery affecting interstate commerce, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California. They are Afatupetaiki Faasisila, 20, of San Bruno; Jose Herrada-Aragon, 20, of Concord; Andres Palestino, 19, of Concord; and Tom Parker Donegan, 19, of Fairfield. Investigators allege that Donegan drove one of the getaway vehicles while others carried out the theft inside. Records reviewed by the East Bay Times, which initially obtained the surveillance footage before the DOJ released it publicly, indicated that Faasisila and Palestino were released while the case remains pending.

The majority of the suspects have not been apprehended. Federal prosecutors, as reported by VNExpress, also believe the Fremont robbery may be directly linked to a similar heist three months later in San Ramon, where a comparable crew allegedly stole an estimated $1.5 million in jewelry. The investigation remains open.