Thieves tunnel through wall to rob Eindhoven jewelry store
Burglars spent hours drilling through two thick concrete walls to break into Pijnenburg Juweliers on Demer Street, making off with an estimated several hundred thousand euros in valuables. The robbery, which reportedly occurred overnight from Friday to Saturday, lasted only seconds once the thieves gained entry, according to store owner Joost van der Heijden.
"You see it in movies and think, ‘this doesn’t happen in real life.’ But it does," Van der Heijden said. Security footage shows two hooded men entering through a hole about 60 centimeters in diameter. They used crowbars to smash display cases and grab high-value items before the store’s security system activated.
The burglars gained access from an adjacent building under renovation. Using heavy-duty tools, they broke through two insulated load-bearing concrete walls—each estimated to be 80 to 90 centimeters thick.
Van der Heijden believes the suspects may have worked for hours. "We’ve had construction noise from that site for months, including on Friday. We had no visibility of their activities because the entrance is around the corner," he said. A demolition hammer was found among the rubble, which the site’s contractor said did not belong there.
Despite the elaborate entry, the thieves had only seconds to act once inside. "Our security is top-notch. The second they set foot on the floor, the fog generators activated," Van der Heijden said. The thick mist obscured their vision, limiting the damage to just four display cases.
"The whole ordeal lasted maybe 10 to 15 seconds," he said. "We have many small items with high value, but they couldn’t take everything." The stolen items were from the store’s inventory, not from customers.
Police are investigating, and forensic teams spent Saturday examining the crime scene. Once their work was complete, Van der Heijden and his team immediately began repairing the breach. "We hope to reopen later today," he said.
A new section of wall was already being built by Saturday afternoon. "We’re also taking extra security measures on the inside," Van der Heijden added. Authorities have not yet identified any suspects, and no arrests have been made.
