UPDATE: (8/4/20, 1:28 PM ET) — A representative for Jonathan Cheban released the following statement to HollywoodLife: “Thank you everyone for your overwhelming concern for myself and family over the life changing incident on Sunday night. It was a horrific experience, but thankfully we are fine,” the statement continued, explaining that the blogger “left Manhattan for the suburbs and the crime is following. Lock your doors and watch your back! Keep your family safe!” the statement concluded, ending with “FoodGod” — Jonathan’s blogging moniker.
ORIGINAL: Kim Kardashian‘s BFF and frequent Keeping Up With The Kardashians personality Jonathan Cheban was the victim of a terrifying robbery, and his mother was there to witness the awful event. As the “Food God” blogger was exiting his car on Aug. 2 around 8:30p.m. in Englewood Cliffs, NJ, he was approached by two men. One suspect asked Jonathan what time it was and then “brandished a silver-colored semiautomatic handgun and pointed it at the victim and two other witnesses on scene,” according to a statement provided to HollywoodLife.com by Englewood Cliffs P.D. One of those two people who had the gun pointed at them was Jonathan’s own mother Galina Cheban.
“The suspect then forcibly removed a watch valued at approximately $250,000 from the victim’s wrist causing minor injury to the victim,” the statement continued, adding that the two men then fled on foot. “Officers arrived on scene within approximately one minute,” of Jonathan’s 911 call and “gained a description of the suspects from the victim and witnesses. Responding officers tracked the suspects with a K9 unit; however the search yielded negative results for the suspects, weapons, or proceeds from the robbery.”
“Jonathan went to Englewood Cliffs to trade in a car and take some of his belongings somewhere and he got robbed with his mom and her friend by his side. They were all then on their way to dinner when this happened. The watch is actually worth much more money than what’s being reported,” a source tells HollywoodLife.com EXCLUSIVELY. Jonathan’s watch was from the Swiss luxury brand Richard Mille, and the exact timepiece can be seen in the above photo.
Jonathan Cheban and Kim Kardashian are seen in Los Angeles, CA on October 27th, 2017. The pair is so close they went as Sonny and Cher to a Halloween party. Photo credit: AP Images
“He’s really shaken up, as is his mom. He just hates that his mom had to see this. Everyone’s OK though despite everything,” our insider explains. “It was one person who robbed him that had a pistol and another was an accomplice who was on the lookout. Neither robber had a face mask on,” our source adds, which helped Jonathan give the police sketch artist such a detailed description of the robber who made off with his timepiece. “He remembers exactly what the robbers looked like because he has an amazing memory,” the insider adds.
Jonathan’s robbery comes nearly four years after BFF Kim was held at gunpoint inside a Paris apartment while robbers made off with over $10 million in diamonds and other jewelry on Oct. 3, 2016. One of the items included her upgraded 20-carat, $4 million diamond engagement ring from husband Kanye West. While she was tied up by the robbers, Kim made it out of horrible ordeal physically unharmed, though she was emotionally traumatized.