Gone in 420 seconds: A Louvre heist for the ages

A crew of thieves hit the Louvre Museum in broad daylight on Sunday and made off with a series of priceless artifacts, cementing their spot alongside Danny Ocean and his gang in the Heist Hall of Fame.

How it went down

Just 30 minutes after the Louvre opened, four people driving two motorcycles, as well as a truck with a mounted furniture elevator, pulled up outside of the museum. Armed with grinders, two crew members used the elevator to access a second-floor Louvre window leading into the home of France’s royal jewels.

The thieves then smashed display cases, stole eight jewels in total, and escaped toward the Seine on motor scooters. The whole operation took less than seven minutes from start to finish.

The stolen pieces, many of which are considered priceless, include:

• A sapphire crown, necklace, and single earring from a matching set linked to French queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense
• An emerald necklace and earrings from the matching set of Empress Marie-Louise, Napoleon Bonaparte's second wife
• The crown and corsage-bow brooch of Empress Eugénie, the wife of Napoleon III

However…it wasn’t a perfect crime. The thieves dropped Empress Eugénie’s crown in their haste, leaving behind a glittering clue encrusted with 1,300+ diamonds and 56 emeralds. They also unsuccessfully attempted to torch the lift truck used in the escape.

The theft follows a recent pattern. The Louvre robbery is the latest in a string of high-profile museum thefts across France.

• Porcelain valued at ~$11 million was stolen from a museum in Limoges last month, while ~$700,000 worth of raw gold vanished from the National Museum of Natural History a few weeks later.
• Analysts say jewels and precious metals are preferred by thieves over iconic art, since they’re easier to sell.

Looking ahead…President Emmanuel Macron has vowed the jewels will be recovered, while a manhunt is currently underway for the four heist suspects. But some experts say it's unlikely the jewels will ever be seen again, as they’ll probably be recut to make them less recognizable and easier to sell.