The Great Louvre Heist of 2025

By Paulina Mann

On Oct. 19, at approximately 9:30 a.m., four individuals dressed as construction workers approached the Musée du Louvre on motorbikes. By 9:38 a.m., eight items, valued at approximately $102.3 million, were stolen, and the four suspects involved were gone. 

The heist started with two of the four individuals entering the Louvre using an electric lift. With a disc cutter, they broke into the upper-story window of the Galerie d'Apollon, home to the French Crown Jewels. The individuals proceeded to break into two glass cases filled with expensive jewels. After threatening guards with their power tools, they stole nine valuable items from the gallery, and escaped through the same window, meeting two counterparts and making their eventual escape on motorbikes. 

The gang attempted to set fire to the electric mounted lift; however, after being stopped by a Louvre staff member, they continued their escape. In the process, they dropped one of the nine stolen items. 

Although two of the thieves have not yet been caught, with DNA evidence found at the scene and surveillance footage, investigators are continuing to work on finding the culprits. According to PBS, however, the thieves might not be caught selling the stolen jewels, as the valuables could already “be melted or broken.” They could then be sold “as part of a new necklace, earrings, or other jewelry, without turning too many heads.”

The Musée du Louvre is one of the most well-known art museums in the world, located in Paris, France, and home to an estimated $44.5 billion in art. Among this art, the “Mona Lisa” may be one of the museum’s most treasured attractions. In August of 1911, an Italian handyman named Vincenzo Peruggia stole the “Mona Lisa.” He hid the painting in his apartment for two years before attempting to sell it in Florence, where he was caught. 

While there are rumors of the heist being an “inside job,” without concrete proof, this is just speculation. All eyes are on the investigators as they piece together the evidence.