Particle.news
Download on the App Store

DOJ Releases Video of 70-Second, $1.7 Million Fremont Jewelry Heist With Four Bay Area Residents Indicted

Prosecutors say stolen getaway cars hindered early leads, leaving most suspects still at large.

Overview

  • Surveillance footage shows nearly two dozen masked individuals storming Kumar Jewelers in Fremont on June 18, 2025, smashing cases with picks and hammers and fleeing in about 70 seconds.
  • Authorities estimate roughly 75–80% of the store’s inventory was taken, with losses put at approximately $1.7 million.
  • The U.S. Department of Justice publicly released the video months after the East Bay Times first obtained it, and the clip has since spread widely online.
  • A federal grand jury indicted Afatupetaiki Faasisila, Jose Herrada-Aragon, Andres Palestino and Tom Parker Donegan on robbery charges that carry maximum penalties of up to 20 years and a $250,000 fine if convicted.
  • Court filings describe suspects escaping in multiple stolen vehicles, complicating license-plate tracking, with officers pursuing a Black Acura that reached about 80 mph; two indicted defendants were later released pending the case, and most participants remain unapprehended, with Donegan also cited in reporting as a suspected link to a similar San Ramon heist.