Thieves Strike The Louvre Museum In Bold Daylight Heist

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The Louvre is the world's most visited museum (Credit: Benh/ CC-BY-SA-3.0/ Wikimedia.org)

Less than a month after a daring heist at the National Museum of Natural History, another museum in France has been robbed. On October 19, 2025, four thieves stole nine pieces of France's crown jewels from the Louvre, the world’s most visited museum. Unlike the previous theft, this one took place in broad daylight.

The heist began shortly after the museum opened at 9:30 AM. The thieves used a mechanical lift, a device generally used for moving furniture into Paris apartments, to reach the second floor. They then cut through a window using special tools.

This diamond and emerald necklace belonging to Marie-Louise was stolen (Credit: Collections.louvre.fr/ CC-BY-SA-2.0)

Once inside the museum, the masked robbers used angle grinders to threaten museum staff and smash two display cases holding the jewels. The stolen items included a necklace and a pair of earrings that once belonged to Marie-Louise. She was the second wife of French Emperor Napoleon I. Also taken were a necklace, earrings, and a tiara owned by Queen Marie-Amélie, the last queen of France. A brooch, a bodice bow, and a crown from the collection of Empress Eugénie, wife of Emperor Napoleon III, were also stolen. The entire heist lasted just seven minutes.

As they fled on scooters, the thieves inadvertently dropped a few items. Among them was Empress Eugénie’s crown. It was later found broken near the museum.

The Mona Lisa is one of the world's most famous paintings (Credit: Louvre.fr/ CC-BY-SA-2.0)

Experts say the stolen pieces are too unique to be sold as complete items. They believe the thieves will melt down the metal and sell the gemstones individually. This means officials might have less than a week to find the historic jewels before they are lost forever.

This is not the first robbery at the Louvre. In 1911, a handyman stole a then-little-known painting called the Mona Lisa. It was recovered two years later when the thief tried to sell it. That heist helped transform the painting into one of the world’s most famous artworks.

Resources: ABCnews.com, NBC.com, CNN.com

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50 Comments
  • maddiet14
    maddiet142 months
    like the day after this happened my homeroom teacher told us the thieves deserved to have it if they could pull of this heist😬😬
    • ilovehenrydsaf
      I disagree- maybe if it were harder to do. But it was too easy for them to be rightfully proud of it, clearly.
      • maddiet14
        maddiet14about 2 months
        I KNOW RIGHT. but the fact that those were stolen and they fled on scooters??? sounds like a kid's book. i mean i guess like if it was heavily guarded, then it would be like 5 stars bro. i agree that it sounds way to easy. my little brother prolly could've done this
    • ilovehenrydsaf
      The absurdity of the whole thing makes the whole thing so comical. I mean, cmon. In broad daylight, on scooters? Clearly, 2025 is a whole comedy skit at this point 💀
      • jd15
        jd155 months
        That is crazy that they got away on scooters??????
      • mugovacotavi
        • newsmp
          newsmp6 months
          I never knew Mona Lisa was not popular before!😮 They better catch the thieves quickly!⏳
        • preppymama89
          preppymama896 months
          Im going to Pairs in 2027
          • darkstalkerulze
            they need to up their game, ASAP!
            • ajuni
              ajuni6 months
              I hope they find the robbers!
              • chuchu81895
                chuchu818956 months
                I don't know if 7 minutes is a lot, but that seems short to me
                • spreadthelulz
                  I heard some people are trying to sell fake versions of the jewelery on ebay