Local Jeweler Abducted, Robbed

By Daniel J. McCue

A team of armed bandits abducted a 24-year-old local jeweler at a Queens gas station Sunday evening, held him overnight, and then forced him to open his Elmont store, the Tudor Jewelry Store, Monday morning, where they stole more than $300,000 worth of merchandise from his safe.

According to Nassau County police detectives, the victim had also been forced to lure his business partner - who had the store's keys - to meet him at another location where he was also abducted by the gunmen.

Both men were eventually released unharmed. As in the case of all crime victims, their identities have not been released by the police.

Ironically, Tudor was also the scene of a botched robbery attempt last year. In that incident, then-store owner Eugene McGuinness shot and killed the would-be robber with a shotgun.

Saying that the store had been a frequent target of robbers - it had been robbed at least five times in the past fifteen years by McGuinness' count - the longtime Elmont businessman sold out to the current owners.

Sunday's incident began shortly after 9:30 p.m., when three armed men blocked the store owner's car with their own as he attempted to leave a gas station near his Rego Park home.

With that, at least two of the men leaped from their vehicle, forced the victim to lie in the back of his car, and placed a hooded mask over his face. He was then driven to an undisclosed location, where he was questioned at length about the store's security system.

According to the account later given to the police by the victim, the men repeatedly threatened his life, telling him that he would never see his wife or child again if he didn't cooperate.

Once inside the store, which is located at 800 Elmont Road, the gunmen forced the proprietor and his partner to open the safe, which was filled with gold, diamonds and other precious gems. Both men were then bound with masking tape and the owner left in the store's basement, where he finally freed himself of his restraints and called police.

His 21-year-old business partner continued to be held hostage for some time after the robbery, but was later released.

The gunmen were still at large as this newspaper went to press.

Attempts to contact the victims at the jewelry store proved unsuccessful on Tuesday, as both numbers listed for Tudor had been disconnected.

Anyone with information about this robbery is asked to call Nassau County Crimestoppers at 800-244-TIPS.