Daylight Heist at the Louvre: Four criminals in hi-viz vests raid Napoleon’s jewels in seven minutes
At about 9:30 a.m. on a sunny Sunday, a four‑member gang arrived outside the Louvre as thousands of tourists wandered nearby. Masked and armed with angle grinders, they pried open two display cases and, in just seven minutes, plundered nine pieces from the Napoleon and Josephine Bonaparte collection. One emerald‑and‑diamond crown was recovered after being dropped and damaged as the thieves fled on mopeds. Surveillance footage appears to show a suspect wearing a yellow hi‑viz vest during the raid.
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Inside the raid: the tactics, the ladder, the cut window
The gang targeted a wing by the Seine where construction work was underway. They extended a freight elevator resembling a ladder from the back of a flat-bed truck and propped it against the gallery wall. After climbing to the top, they used an angle grinder to cut through the external window and slipped into Salle 705. In the scramble, the men pried open two display cases and hurriedly loaded nine items from the Napoleon and Josephine Bonaparte collection.
What was stolen: from Eugénie’s crown to sapphire jewels
The nine pieces came from the Napoleon and Josephine Bonaparte collection. Stolen items include Empress Eugénie’s emerald‑and‑diamond crown (which was found discarded and damaged after the escape), Eugénie’s tiara, and her 2,438‑diamond brooch. Also taken were an emerald necklace and a pair of emerald earrings from the Marie‑Louise set, emerald pieces from the Marie‑Amélie and Hortense sapphire sets (including a necklace and a single earring), and a reliquary brooch by Paul‑Albert Bapst. The Crown of Empress Eugénie, made in 1855, was among the items lost.
Investigation and official response: lockdown, manhunts, and a wary glare at security
Louvre officials placed the museum in lockdown as investigators swarmed the scene. Chief prosecutor Laure Beccuau described the group as a 'strike team' that threatened guards with the angle grinders they used to cut the glass booths. Although the Louvre’s alarms were functioning, it remains unclear whether they sounded during the theft. About 60 investigators are on the case, and a manhunt is underway—one hi‑viz vest has already been recovered. Two thieves arrived on Yamaha Tmax scooters, while two others waited on the back of a flat‑bed truck with an extendable ladder. CCTV footage is being studied, and authorities say the gang was experienced and had likely been watching the site before the operation.
Context, reactions and a museum‑security debate
Sunday’s raid revived a national debate about security at museums, following other incidents in France this year. It was the Louvre’s first major theft since a 1998 painting heist. Politicians reacted strongly: far‑right leader Jordan Bardella called the event 'an unbearable humiliation for our country.' French President Emmanuel Macron vowed that the works would be recovered and that the perpetrators would be brought to justice, while Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez acknowledged the vulnerability of French museums and vowed aggressive pursuit. Culture Minister Rachida Dati stood on site with museum staff and police. The Louvre welcomed nearly nine million visitors in 2024, underscoring the pressure to protect priceless heritage while keeping galleries open to the public.
