They climbed the fire stairs to get inside, waited in a stairwell, and at midnight, they struck, possibly using the noise from the New Year's celebration as cover, cop sources said. ||||| CLOSE The NYPD is searching for three men in connection with a $6 million New Year's Eve jewelry heist in midtown Manhattan. Investigators say the trio used a pry-bar and hammer to break into two safes. (Jan. 3) AP 
 
 Three men are suspects in a New Year's Eve jewelry heist in New York City. (Photo: NYPD) 
 
 Three men welcomed 2017 by swiping $6 million in jewelry from a New York City wholesaler as New Year's Eve revelers partied just blocks away. 
 
 The New York City Police Department said the men entered a building on West 36th Street in Manhattan about 10 p.m. on New Year's Eve, but waited until the moment the clock struck midnight before they broke into KGK Holding Jewelry using a hammer and pry bar. 
 
 NYPD Det. Hamad Nasser said the men burgled two safes, took $6 million in loot, and then retreated down a stairwell. NYPD continues to search for the suspects. 
 
 The heist occurred a half mile from Times Square, where about 7,000 NYPD officers were on hand to maintain order for the estimated 2 million in attendance. The agency also placed 65 sand-filled sanitation trucks and 100 police vehicles to serve as blockers after terrorist truck attacks in Europe. 
 
 Surveillance footage shows the men breaking into the store. Both are wearing hooded sweatshirts, and one of them is wearing a backpack. At one point, two suspects look into the surveillance camera. 
 
 Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2hOM6AT ||||| Police are searching for three men in connection with a $6 million New Year's Eve jewelry heist in Midtown, Manhattan.Surveillance shows two of the suspects armed with a hammer and a crowbar. They worked for about 10 seconds until they noticed the camera - then, it was lights out.As more than a million people packed into Times Square under the watchful eye of 7,000 police officers, just a few blocks away in a nondescript office building, police said the three suspects got away with a fortune.The ultimate New Year's Eve diversion provided cover for an epic heist at 12:01 a.m. in the offices of high-end jewelry designer Gregg Ruth, whose website offers rings costing as much as $62,000.After the suspects busted their way into the offices, they seemed to have had free run of two different safes.Law enforcement sources said officers found no sign of forced entry. The thieves grabbed handfuls of loot, making off with an estimated $6 million worth of jewels. They then fled the building down the fire stairs.Police are asking anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers at 1800-577-TIPS or visit the website at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com
– While 7,000 police officers kept a watchful eye on revelers ringing in the new year in Times Square, three men pulled off a major jewelry heist just blocks away, WGO reports. According to USA Today, police say three men entered a Manhattan building around 10pm New Year's Eve. At midnight—possibly using noise from New Year's celebrations as cover—they allegedly broke into the offices of a jewelry wholesaler and made off with $6 million in jewelry from two safes. Police believe the burglary was an inside job, as the suspects didn't need to force their way into the safes; they were already open, the New York Daily News reports. Police released video—taken just before the men destroyed the surveillance cameras—on Monday. The suspects are still on the loose. Police say the suspects stole rings, bracelets, and necklaces from jewelry designer Gregg Ruth. Rings on his website sell for up to $62,000.