On Sunday, October 19th, 2025, the Louvre Museum had its first robbery since 1998. At about 9:30 am, the four thieves gained access through the second-floor balcony on the south side of the building. They used an extendable lift to get up to the window and used an angle grinder with other power tools to break into the museum’s Apollo Gallery.
The Apollo Gallery, the target of the theft, is home to France’s historic collection of crown jewels, and was built by former French Monarch Louis XIV in 1661. According the The Guardian, the eight pieces of jewelry that were stolen were a necklace and a pair of earrings given by Napoleon I to his second wife Empress Marie-Louise, a diadem (similar to a tiara), brooch, and decorative bow, belonging to Napoleon III’s third wife Eugenie, and a tiara, necklace, and a single earring from a sapphire set worn by many, including Marie-Amelie, the last queen of France.
When the heist took place, the museum had already been opened to the public. The theft had reportedly lasted just four to seven minutes. After grabbing the items, the thieves fled on motorbikes (scooters) and tried to set fire to their lift, but were unsuccessful. They used the same escape route, along the River Seine. During the escape, they had dropped Empress Eugenie’s very valuable crown, which was damaged. According to AP News, Prosecutor Laure Beccuau valued the loot at over $100 million USD.
Following the incident, the museum was closed as an investigation was launched. The Louvre reopened this past Wednesday, excluding the Apollo Gallery. Beccauau, whose office is leading the investigation, reported that there were roughly 100 investigators working the case, according to NBC. Authorities are treating the case as an organized gang theft, but no arrests or suspects have been confirmed yet. According to The Guardian, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, said the raid was presumed to be carried out by an experienced team.
Sources say that it’s presumed the thieves will melt down the items to sell them, severely decreasing the monetary and cultural value of the jewelry, so it’s a race to catch them before that happens. As the investigation continues, there are still many questions surrounding the identity of the criminals, if any other people were involved, and the exact fate of the stolen jewels. However, what is certain is the global concerns about museum safety and that the heist underscores how even the world’s most premier institutions are vulnerable to compromise.
Sources:
https://apnews.com/article/louvre-museum-theft-paris-jewels-b1fb405f231e190a4fc0c272a819186f
https://www.nbcnews.com/world/europe/louvre-reopens-jewel-heist-thieves-police-paris-rcna239064
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/20/louvre-museum-robbery-thieves-stolen-jewellery
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg7nrlkg0zxo
