Mechelen (Brussels Morning Newspaper): Thieves attempted to break into a jewelry store in Mechelen on New Year’s Eve, but were stopped by nearby shoppers. Two men, aged 16 and 31, were arrested after breaking the window.
Thieves targeted a jewelry store in Mechelen just after 5 p.m. on 30 December while the city was busy with New Year’s Eve shoppers. The store owner saw two men acting suspiciously, stomping on the window. When he asked them what was wrong, they seemed drunk and left. However, they came back a few minutes later with a big stone and started hitting the window. The first layer of glass broke, and the owner feared the second layer would shatter too, allowing them to steal the jewelry, but that didn’t happen.
What happened during the jewelry store break-in attempt in Mechelen?
A few people nearby, including some from a fruit shop, saw the trouble and jumped in to help. They made the thieves drop the stone and caught one of them, while another person grabbed the second thief. One thief was held on a bench at Botermarkt, and the other was caught near the De Voorzorg health insurance fund. The police came quickly and took both men away.
Thieves tried to break into a jewelry store but didn’t steal anything. They broke the window, and the fire department had to clean up the glass. The owner, who has had the shop for 35 years, worries it will take a long time to fix. The police are still looking into the case.