WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand Police said Friday they have recovered a James Bond-inspired Fabergé pendant after six days of closely watching the man accused of swallowing the jewelry in an Auckland store.
They said the pendant was recovered Thursday night after it exited the suspect's gastrointestinal tract naturally without medical intervention.
The limited-edition, Fabergé egg pendant was inspired by the 1983 James Bond film “Octopussy," in which a jewel-smuggling operation involves a fake Fabergé egg.
A less glamorous photo supplied by New Zealand’s police Friday showed a gloved hand holding the recovered pendant and its long, gold chain with an intact price tag showing the jewelry's 33,000 New Zealand dollar ($19,000) value.
The man was arrested inside Partridge Jewelers in Auckland on Nov. 28 shortly after the alleged theft.
He made a court appearance Nov. 29, when he didn’t enter a plea to a charge of theft. Since then, he's been in police custody and officers had been stationed round the clock with the man to wait for the evidence to reemerge.
The 32-year-old man has not been publicly named. He is due to appear in Auckland District Court on Monday and will remain in police custody until then.
“Given this man is in Police custody, we have a duty of care to continue monitoring him given the circumstances of what has occurred,” Inspector Grae Anderson said in a statement Wednesday.
The store’s website says the egg, one of only 50 made, was crafted from gold, painted with green enamel and encrusted with 183 diamonds and two sapphires. The pendant is 8.4 centimeters (3.3 inches) tall and is mounted on a stand.
“The egg opens to reveal an 18ct yellow gold octopus nestled inside, adorned with white diamond suckers and black diamond eyes,” an item description said. “The octopus surprise pays homage to the eponymous antagonist at the center of the ‘Octopussy’ film.”
In this photo provided by the New Zealand Police a Fabergé pendant is held after it was recovered, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, from a man accused of stealing and swallowing the pendant. (New Zealand Police via AP)
NEW YORK (AP) — Devin Williams could be the closer for the New York Mets next season. Or he might be a setup man for Edwin Díaz.
Each possibility sounds intriguing to Williams, who finalized a $51 million, three-year contract with the Mets on Wednesday.
The 31-year-old Díaz is a free agent after going 6-3 with a 1.63 ERA and 28 saves this year. The right-hander has 144 saves in six seasons with the Mets.
“If he comes back, I think we’re going to have a really good back end of the bullpen,” Williams said Friday in his first public comments since joining New York. “More good arms is always a good thing.”
Williams said his mindset won’t be impacted by his role.
“Just being prepared mentally and physically,” Williams said. “If you’re going in before the ninth inning, you just need to be ready earlier. I don’t think that really changes your mindset at all. It’s just a preparation thing.”
Williams said he is working on a cutter and a “gyro slider” to go along with his fastball and famed changeup. He is expected to help stabilize a bullpen that is in flux behind Díaz.
Left-handers Brooks Raley, A.J. Minter and Richard Lovelady as well as right-hander Huascar Brazobán are all under contract, but none of the quartet spent the entire 2025 season with the Mets.
Raley returned in June from Tommy John surgery. Minter didn’t pitch after April 26 due to a torn left lat. Lovelady and Brazoban each spent time with Triple-A Syracuse.
“They’re a team that wants to win,” Williams said. “Steve (Mets owner Steve Cohen) is doing all he can to put a winning product out on the field and I’d love to be a part of that.”
Williams spent last season with the New York Yankees, going 4-6 with a career-worst 4.79 ERA and 18 saves in 22 chances. He lost the closer’s job, regained it and then lost it again before finishing the year with four scoreless outings during the American League playoffs.
The two-time All-Star was traded from the Milwaukee Brewers to the Yankees last December. He acknowledged that the transition from Milwaukee — where he was the 2020 NL Rookie of the Year and twice won the Trevor Hoffman NL Reliever of the Year award while Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns was running the Brewers — was difficult.
But after the Yankees were eliminated from the postseason, Williams said he was open to re-signing with the team.
“It’s familiar now,” Williams said Friday. “I know what I’m going to need to do in order to get to the field, all the things like that. Getting home, just life stuff. So I’ve got all that figured out already. I’m comfortable there.”
Williams is 31-16 with a 2.45 ERA and 86 saves in 308 relief appearances over seven major league seasons. He has 465 strikeouts and 137 walks in 297 2/3 innings.
He becomes the latest member of the Mets brought over from the Yankees organization by Cohen and Stearns in recent years, including outfielder Juan Soto, pitcher Clay Holmes, catcher Luis Torrens and manager Carlos Mendoza.
Williams gets a $6 million signing bonus from the Mets payable in three equal installments on April 1 from 2026-28 and salaries of $15 million annually, of which $5 million per year will be deferred.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
FILE - New York Yankees pitcher Devin Williams delivers against the Toronto Blue Jays during the seventh inning of Game 3 of baseball's American League Division Series, Oct. 7, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)
