Well-known jeweler targeted in Wassenaar home invasion; €1 million in jewelry stolen
The police are looking for information about a violent home invasion in Wassenaar in July in which the elderly residents were assaulted and left tied up for hours while robbers ransacked their home and stole nearly 1 million euros worth of jewelry. According to the Telegraaf, the victims are 80-year-old Fred Brom and his wife. Brom is one of the best-known jewelers in the Netherlands.
Brom retired in 2020 and transferred his business, Steltman Juweliers, to his sons. He is perhaps best known for designing Queen Maxima’s engagement ring. He was also a regular gemstone expert on the program Tussen Kunst en Kitsch.
Just before midnight on July 6, Brom and his wife were attacked by three men in balaclavas in their villa on Backershagenlaan in Wassenaar. They were tied up with cable ties, assaulted, and threatened, the police said on Opsporing Verzocht this week. The perpetrators threw towels over the victims’ heads so that they couldn’t see what they were doing.
They also severely assaulted Brom. He was stabbed, hit with a crowbar on the head, and thrown violently to the ground.
After ransacking the entire house and taking nearly 1 million euros worth of jewelry, the robbers left the couple tied up and in shock. “The robbery was such a traumatic experience that both of them have developed PTSD,” the police said.
The police are looking for anyone with information about this robbery.