A California was arrested after he allegedly stole an Olympic gold medal belonging to a member of the 2020 US Women’s Volleyball team.
Olympian Jordyn Poulter reported her medal stolen May 25 after finding her unlocked car broken into at a parking garage in Anaheim, police said.
Jordan Fernandez, 31, was charged Tuesday with first-degree residential burglary, second-degree vehicle burglary, identity theft and possession of narcotics, police said.
Poulter noticed the medal was missing after returning to her car and seeing her stuff was rummaged through. Her bag containing the medal and her passport was taken, Los Angeles Times reports.
Officials are still searching for the medal, which remains missing.
“Unfortunately, Jordyn’s Olympic Gold Medal has not yet been recovered and she is offering a $1,000 reward for its safe return, no questions asked,” the police statement read.
Fernandez has a “lengthy criminal history,” police added.
Poulter’s team edged out Brazil in the Tokyo Olympics final to take home the shiny gold medals.
The volleyball star said she hopes the suspect realizes pawning the medal wouldn’t be as lucrative as they might think.
“It’s not pure gold, so if you try to melt it down, it’s not going to get you very far,” Poulter said, according to the LA Times. “The inside is made of recycled computer parts and then plated. So it’s not worth much in that sense.”
Poulter said the medal “means a lot more” to her than its monetary value.
With Post wires
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