Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens has claimed he was targeted by pickpockets in Italy while attending the Winter Olympic Games with seven-time gold medalist Simone Biles
07:33 ET, 16 Feb 2026
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
American gymnast Simone Biles and husband Jonathan Owens in attendance at the Men Single Skating on day seven of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on February 13, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
View 4 Images
Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens were recently attended the Winter Olympics ice skating in Milan(Image: Getty Images)
Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens has claimed he was targeted by pickpockets while in Italy to watch the Winter Olympics.
With the Winter Games now over halfway through, the big headlines so far from Milan have been the fallout from Lindsey Vonn's shocking crash, as well as a huge brawl that saw Team Canada winger Tom Wilson ejected for fighting France's Pierre Cirnon in the ice hockey.
Recently, Owens, who is married to seven-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles, was spotted with his wife watching the ice skating in Milan. However, the NFL safety recently admitted on social media that he had been the target of pickpockets.
Posting on X, Owens said an individual tried to snatch his shopping bag in Milan, which he had tied around his hand, preventing the pickpocket from running away.
"Not somebody just tried to snatch my shopping bag in Milan, force of habit i had it tied around my hand so he couldn’t get it and took off running immediately….but still crazy," wrote Owens.
One user on the social media platform replied to Owens: "Interesting choice trying you like that. Was he fast? More importantly, could you have tracked him down in the moment?"
Sign up to our NFL newsletter here
Content cannot be displayed without consent
That then prompted the Bears safety to respond: "Not fast at all bro, his arms were moving faster than his legs lol Should’ve seen his face once he realized i turned around and he couldn’t grab it."
Another joked that Owens should have let the pickpocket take the bag, so he could chase him down and 'Peanut Punch' it out of his hands like former Bears cornerback, Charles 'Peanut' Tillman, used to force ball carriers to fumble.
Jonathan Owens #36 of the Chicago Bears runs out of the tunnel prior to an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks at Soldier Field on December 26, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois.
View 4 Images
Jonathan Owens is set to be a free agent this offseason(Image: Getty Images)
"Honestly bro it was hilarious how slow he started running away once he saw he couldn’t grab it out of my hand," replied Owens.
However, despite the incident, Owens and Biles trip to Milan seems to have been one the pair have thoroughly enjoyed. Posting on her Instagram story, Biles shared a photo of the pair shopping, captioning it: "always spoiling me."
Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens
View 4 Images
Biles and Owens made the most of their shopping trip in Milan(Image: Instagram/simonebiles)
The next few weeks and months could be busy for the pair, especially with Owens set to become a free agent this offseason. In 2024, he agreed to terms on a two-year, $4.75 million deal with Chicago, a contract that is now up.
Meanwhile, Biles is weighing up whether she wants to compete on home soil at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, following her three-gold-medal haul in Paris, alongside the four she won in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
Simone Biles of Team United States poses with her Paris 2024 Olympic medals following the Artistic Gymnastics Women's Floor Exercise Final on day ten of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Bercy Arena on August 05, 2024 in Paris, France.
View 4 Images
Biles, pictured here at the 2024 Olympic Games, is weighing up whether to compete in Los Angeles come 2028(Image: Getty Images)
Article continues below
“I'm not sure what 2028 looks like, but I will be there in some capacity," Biles told Olympics.com in October.
"I just don't know right now if it’s on the floor or in the stands. But I definitely want to go and be a part of that movement."