Sean Rossman

USA TODAY

Three men welcomed 2017 by swiping $6 million in jewelry from a New York City wholesaler as New Year's Eve revelers partied just blocks away.

The New York City Police Department said the men entered a building on West 36th Street in Manhattan about 10 p.m. on New Year's Eve, but waited until the moment the clock struck midnight before they broke into KGK Holding Jewelry using a hammer and pry bar.

NYPD Det. Hamad Nasser said the men burgled two safes, took $6 million in loot, and then retreated down a stairwell. NYPD continues to search for the suspects.

The heist occurred a half mile from Times Square, where about 7,000 NYPD officers were on hand to maintain order for the estimated 2 million in attendance. The agency also placed 65 sand-filled sanitation trucks and 100 police vehicles to serve as blockers after terrorist truck attacks in Europe.

Surveillance footage shows the men breaking into the store. Both are wearing hooded sweatshirts, and one of them is wearing a backpack. At one point, two suspects look into the surveillance camera.