Boca Raton Saks 5th Avenue robbery: FBI releases new details, photos of sledgehammer jewelry heist

The FBI has released video of the men they say broke into the Boca Raton Town Center Saks 5th Avenue store Thursday, Sept. 20 and left with a massive amount of jewelry.

Investigators said the thieves ran inside the store armed with sledgehammers an hour before closing.

At least three men, who were in masks, walked up to the glass counters of the jewelry cases and began smashing them, police said.

Kathy Fogel was one of a handful of customers inside. She says she heard someone yell "everybody get down" and she followed an employee and hid inside a locked closet to call 911.

"In the closet we didn't know they were just after jewelry, we thought this was it. We felt like sitting ducks because there was no exit. We were on hold with 911 for four minutes truly terrified," says Fogel.

Moments later, the men got away with an undisclosed amount of merchandise and drove off in a BMW, according to an incident report.

That's when an employee came to tell Fogel and the others it was safe to come out.

"We literally ran out the door. As soon as the manager said to leave, I left immediately and the parking lot at that point in time had police everywhere," says Fogel.

Following the robbery, security was increased and officers spent the day patrolling the outside of the store.

"The safety of our associates and customers is of utmost importance to Saks. We are cooperating with authorities on the matter," Saks 5th Avenue officials said in a statement.

It's been one week and Fogel says she's not ready to go back to the mall. One thing remains on her mind.

"There were police on site, how come they weren't able to hone in and catch the robbers while this was going on?" says Fogel.

The FBI, Boca Raton Police Department and the South Florida Violent Crime Task Force are still investigating the robbery.

There is a $5,000 reward for information provided to the FBI leading to the arrest and conviction of the men responsible for the robbery.

"Our primary concern is always for the safety of our customers and mall employees and we are glad no one was injured last night," Boca Raton Town Center officials said in a statement. "We will continue to work with the Boca Raton Police Department as they investigate this isolated incident."

If anyone has information as to the identity of these robbers, they are urged to call the FBI at (305) 944-9101 or the Boca Raton Police Department at (561) 338-1246.