New Video Shows Aftermath of Unsolved Brink’s Truck Jewelry Heist

Newly released body-camera video shows the aftermath of a California Brink’s truck heist that may be among the largest jewelry thefts in U.S. history — and remains unsolved more than a year later.

The footage was captured by members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department who responded to the July 11, 2022 theft, and obtained by local outlet ABC7.

The footage aired by the outlet opens with two Brink’s guards trying to piece together how the heist went down as they transported their precious cargo from a San Mateo jewelry show to Pasadena.

While one slept inside the unarmored vehicle, the other had gone into a Flying J truck stop to grab food. When he came back, he noticed that something was amiss.

“That was our seal. We had a lock on here, and that’s gone,” one of the guards was recorded explaining. “I don’t even know where the lock is. We kind of looked around for it, there’s nothing to be found.”

A count showed that 24 of the 73 bags that had been aboard the truck vanished. 

Values reported for the items have varied widely.

Exhibitors initially valued the goods at $150 million, which would put the heist among the largest in U.S. history.

On the video, however, one of the guards can be heard estimating the total value of the items aboard the truck — including the contents of the 49 bags that weren’t stolen — at “about $2.5 million in diamonds and jewelry.”

Then, after making a phone call, the guards said that the cumulative value across the 73 bags was approximately $23 million.

Contributing to the confusion are questions about whether the insurance purchased by the exhibitors in Pasadena aligned with the value of the jewelry.

"According to the information the customers provided to us before they shipped their items, the total value of the missing items is less than $10 million,” Brink’s said in a statement to ABC7.

“If these customers had accurately declared the value of their goods, Brink's would have implemented security measures commensurate with those higher transport values — and even in the event of a loss, we would have compensated the customers fully for their declared values."

Those exhibitors, Brink’s said, “have chosen to litigate, admitting under oath that they undervalued their goods, and even did so regularly.”

“While we are deeply disappointed by this breach of our trust and the plain language of our contracts, the courts have responded favorably to our position, and we remain willing to compensate these customers for the declared value of their goods.”

Attorney Jerry Kroll, who represents 14 of the affected exhibitors, said that his clients followed Brink’s instructions.

“My clients did what they told them to do which is put down how much insurance you want, which I think was a total of $8.7 million,” Kroll told ABC7. “That's the number and they are accusing my clients of effectively lying to them simply because my clients did what they asked them to do.”

Brink’s and the exhibitors represented by Kroll are suing each other. Brink’s said it has settled claims made by three other exhibitors.

Kroll also took aim at the security measures taken for the high-value trip.

"It looks like there was just a padlock on the back," Kroll told ABC7. "A padlock, two guards — one sleeping, one inside [the truck stop] — in our view not guarding the goods, and you have at least $23 million on board. Something is wrong with this picture."

On the video, an investigator can be heard noting that the items closest to the trailer’s door were untouched.

"What doesn't make sense to me is that you would think the back half of the trailer would be empty rather than leapfrogging the stuff,” the deputy mused. “Like I said, I don't know, it's hard to say unless they knew exactly what was in here.”

More than a year later, the heist remains unsolved.