A man who set up what he thought would be a Facebook Marketplace sale of two luxury watches ended up solving his own armed robbery case after spotting the alleged robber wearing one of the stolen timepieces in a TikTok video, according to Cook County prosecutors.
Prosecutors said the victim later tracked the Facebook Marketplace account’s username across multiple platforms, found videos identifying the suspect, and eventually discovered a TikTok clip showing the man wearing his pricey Audemars Piguet diamond watch. That discovery ultimately helped detectives identify 20-year-old Jahdon Woods as the alleged gunman.
According to prosecutors, the robbery unfolded on January 21 after a 22-year-old Plainfield man arranged to sell two watches. The victim had been communicating with Woods through Facebook Messenger before the conversation moved to text messages using a phone number Woods allegedly provided. The pair agreed to meet in the parking lot of a bar and grill to complete the transaction.
When the victim saw Woods arrive, he walked over to Woods’ truck window, where Woods briefly discussed the transaction before the victim presented the two watches for inspection, prosecutors said. Instead of paying for the watches, Woods allegedly pulled out a silver handgun, pointed it directly at the victim, grabbed the watches, including the coveted Audemars Piguet, and drove away.
The victim ran into the restaurant and called 911. But after a “prolonged” wait without receiving a response from Chicago police, prosecutors said, the victim returned to his suburban home and filed a report the following day. Detectives later obtained surveillance video that prosecutors said captured the robbery from start to finish.
While reviewing the Facebook profile used to arrange the meeting, the victim noticed an Instagram username connected to the account. Prosecutors said the victim visited the Instagram page and immediately recognized the man who had robbed him. The victim then searched for the same username on other social media platforms and found a TikTok account. According to prosecutors, one of the videos on that account showed Woods wearing the same Audemars Piguet watch stolen during the robbery.
The victim forwarded an image of Woods to detectives, who sent it to the Illinois Secretary of State’s facial recognition unit. Prosecutors said the system identified Woods as a possible match.
Investigators also obtained a search warrant for the phone number used to arrange the sale and confirmed it was registered to Woods, according to prosecutors.
Judge Antara Rivera ordered Woods detained on a charge of armed robbery. Police recently arrested Woods at the 26th Street courthouse after he appeared for a routine hearing in another gun case that he picked up in May. That case is still pending.
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