New Jersey

New Details Emerge in Brazen Daytime Diamond District Heist

The alleged ringleader, identified by law enforcement sources as Jaysean Sutton, is believed to be armed and extremely dangerous

What to Know

  • Police have released the names of two of the three suspects wanted in connection to the $4 million armed robbery in the Diamond District
  • The alleged ringleader, identified by law enforcement sources as Jaysean Sutton, is thought to be armed and dangerous; he may be in CT or NJ
  • Another suspect is Pedro Davila; he has been arrested before but not for violent crimes and is known to hang out in East Harlem

Police have released the names of two of the three suspects wanted in connection with a $4 million armed robbery in the Diamond District last month.

All three men walked into Avianne & Co. Jewelers on 47th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, pretending to be customers, on Aug. 25, then flashed guns and tied up employees. Facial recognition technology identified two of them. 

On Tuesday, for the first time, the NYPD released their names. The alleged ringleader is Jaysean Sutton, a bald 39-year-old man about 6 feet tall with brown eyes who is believed to be in the Stamford, Connecticut, area and also hiding out in New Jersey, law enforcement sources tell News 4.

Sutton is the man seen in widely watched surveillance video wearing a suit; he has long hair and sits at the table before pulling out a gun. Sutton has been arrested before, most recently in February on weapons and drug charges. He is believed to be armed and extremely dangerous, the sources tell News 4.

Also identified Tuesday: 27-year-old Pedro Davila, a 27-year-old man about 6 feet 2 inches tall with brown eyes and black hair who grew up in the Bronx and is known to hang out in East Harlem. Davila has been arrested before but not for violent crimes; he has a large mole by his left ear.

The third suspect remains unidentified. 

Officers for the NYPD's Major Case Squad have been investigating the brazen daytime heist for weeks. Surveillance footage released by NYPD shows the robbery suspects holding handguns as workers lay face down on the floor. They then grab jewelry and threw it into a duffle bag before running off on foot.

Eli Ariah, who spoke to one of the victims moments after the robbery, said he was told about $4 million worth of jewelry was taken. 

"We came in to open up the store these guys came in pretending like their customers and they pulled out guns and robbed us. They told the boss to open the safe," Ariah told News 4.

None of the victims was physically hurt, police said. No arrests have been made. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.

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