Caught On Camera: Louvre Thieves’ Bizarrely Calm Escape After $102 Million Jewel Heist

Last Updated:October 24, 2025, 17:06 IST

In the video, one of the men steps off the platform, adjusts a bag slung over his shoulder and walks casually toward two parked scooters.

The clip shows two men dressed entirely in black making a surprisingly unhurried getaway.

A 36-second video surfaced online offering a stunning glimpse into one of the most audacious art thefts in decades- the €88 million (£76 million) crown jewel heist at the Louvre Museum in Paris. The clip, verified by Le Parisien, shows two men dressed entirely in black- one wearing a yellow high-visibility vest, the other a motorcycle helmet- making a surprisingly unhurried getaway after looting the museum’s famed Apollo Gallery, home to France’s royal treasures.

Filmed from a nearby window, the short but striking video captures the pair descending slowly on a furniture lift from the gallery’s window- the same window police say was smashed open earlier that morning. One of the men steps off the platform, adjusts a bag slung over his shoulder and walks casually toward two parked scooters along the Quai Francois Mitterrand.

A voice- believed to be from a museum security guard’s radio- can be heard saying, “They are going to leave."

Seconds later, another voice adds, “Damn, there we go- the police."

Moments after the men disappear from frame, sirens can be faintly heard in the distance.

Investigators said that two members of a four-man gang carried out the theft- using disc cutters to slice open two glass display cases, stealing eight historic pieces in less than seven minutes. Among the missing jewels are an emerald and diamond necklace gifted by Napoleon I to Empress Marie Louise and a diadem once owned by Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III- both priceless artifacts of France’s imperial history.

A stolen utility truck equipped with a 30-metre extendable ladder and basket lift was found abandoned near the scene, suggesting meticulous planning and professional execution.

France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said more than 100 investigators have been assigned to the case, calling it a matter of “national importance."

Louvre director Laurence des Cars described the incident as “a terrible failure," acknowledging that the museum’s exterior camera coverage was highly insufficient, allowing the thieves to exploit a security blind spot.

News world Caught On Camera: Louvre Thieves’ Bizarrely Calm Escape After $102 Million Jewel Heist

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