A man has been arrested in connection with the theft of Olympian Jordyn Poulter’s gold medal.
According to jail records, Jordan Fernandez, 31, of Anaheim CA, was arrested on Friday. He was charged with multiple crimes, including residential burglary and identity theft.
“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,” police said
Poulter, the starting setter for USA volleyball had parked her rental car in her garage, unlocked and went inside to get ready for a zoom meeting.
Upon returning to the vehicle she noticed various missing items along with her gold medal which she had left in the middle console.
“It means a lot more to me than I think the monetary value,” Poulter said. “It’s not pure gold, so if you try to melt it down, it’s not going to get you very far.
“The inside is made of recycled computer parts and then plated. So it’s not worth much in that sense.”
Poulter played a key role in defeating longtime rival Brazil during last summer’s Tokyo Olympics. To have such a relic taken, in her words, is indeed ‘a bummer’.
Anyone with information on the medal’s whereabouts is asked to call the Anaheim Police Department at (714) 765-1900 or Orange County Crime Stoppers at (855) TIP-OCCS.