Crypto Expert Ambushed, Shot 5 Times At NYC Hotel, In Attempted Robbery Of His $450,000 Richard Mille Watch

Today in “reasons to get out of U.S. cities” news…

A robber who was after a $450,000 Richard Mille watch shot a 33-year-old French cryptocurrency expert at point blank range in Manhattan this month. The victim told the Daily Mail that he believed he was followed “for hours or days” prior to the attack.

The victim, Pierrick Jamaux, was ambushed outside of his Manhattan hotel. He said that he was “shocked” by how dangerous New York City had become and said he “would never have visited” if he knew how much it had changed in the last 10 years, since he lived there.

He was visiting from Hong Kong and was getting out of an Uber at the Fifty Hotel and Suites in Midtown when the incident took place. 

“Given the fact he was waiting there when we arrived and also the violence of the crime, I believe he followed me,” Jamaux said. “I believe they found me somewhere, then they tracked me for a few hours or days to figure out what I do, where I go. I think it was organized.”

He continued, telling the Daily Mail: “It cannot be a coincidence because it happened between the Uber and the door of the hotel – there is two meters of distance. The guy was waiting for me there is no doubt about it.”

“He started shooting me even before I understood he wanted my watch and from then I was just pushing the gun down and he kept shooting my legs, it was crazy,” he said. “I know he shot five times but I think some of them went through both legs. Three of them are point-blank shooting. I have a lot of bullet holes.”

Jamaux was helped when a female friend of him and his wife jumped on the robber’s back and began to choke him. 

“She is one of my really good friends, she is fiery. She jumped on his back and she did a triangle-like choke like in MMA,” Jamaux said.   

Jamaux quickly passed out after being shot and started to bleed out on the street, the report says. Meanwhile, the robber was unable to get his watch off because of a “bracelet security mechanism” it had. The robber escaped in a black four door BMW. 

Jamaux has had six surgeries so far. “They hit my femoral artery – it’s something where you usually die in 5 minutes – it was a major surgery to save my life.”

“I was surprised when I talked to one of the doctors here. I said ‘does it happen often?’ and he was like ‘yes’ without hesitation,” Jamaux concluded. “If I knew New York had changed like that, I would never have come here. I probably would have diverted my business trip and stayed in Europe. You don’t need to be a genius to realize New York is very very dangerous right now. I don’t think it’s safe for anyone. There are too many people who have nothing to lose.”