Louvre Heist: CCTV Shows Thief Cutting Through Glass Before Fleeing With Priceless Jewels | Watch

Last Updated:October 20, 2025, 10:38 IST

The group fled with jewels worth millions of dollars, pulling off the theft in full view of both visitors and staff.

The footage (left) shows men dressed a construction worker casually cuts through the glass. (X @BFMTV)

The clip, aired by France’s BFMTV, captures the moment a masked suspect calmly cuts through a glass display case with a handheld chainsaw as unaware visitors stroll past. The footage offers a chilling glimpse into the precision behind the Louvre Museum’s latest jewel heist.

According to French authorities, three robbers disguised as construction workers managed to breach the museum’s security system on Sunday morning and escape within ten minutes.

The group fled with jewels worth millions of dollars, pulling off the theft in full view of both visitors and staff.

Robbery Forces Temporary Closure

The robbery forced the temporary closure of the Louvre, the world’s most visited museum and home to the Mona Lisa. President Emmanuel Macron said on social media that “everything is being done" to track down the perpetrators and recover the stolen treasures.

Outside the museum, armed soldiers patrolled the iconic glass pyramid entrance as police cordoned off the area, keeping evacuated visitors and tourists behind security tape. “It was like a Hollywood movie," American tourist Talia Ocampo told AFP. “It was crazy—something we won’t forget. We couldn’t go to the Louvre because there was a robbery."

‘Priceless’ Treasures Stolen

France’s culture ministry confirmed that eight pieces of jewellery were stolen from the Apollo Gallery, which houses the French crown jewels. “Two high-security display cases were targeted, and eight objects of priceless cultural heritage were stolen," the ministry said.

Among the missing items were an emerald-and-diamond necklace gifted by Napoleon to Empress Marie Louise and the 19th-century crown of Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III. Police said they are searching for a team of four thieves. Paris’s chief prosecutor, Laure Beccuau, told BFMTV that the robbers threatened guards with angle grinders while smashing open the display cases. A 60-member investigation team has been assigned to the case.

Officials said the thieves used a powered, extendable ladder, typically used for moving furniture into buildings, to access the gilded gallery. The culture ministry added that Empress Eugénie’s crown, covered with 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds, was later recovered after the suspects dropped it while fleeing.

‘They Got In Within 30 Seconds’

The stolen collection also includes a necklace from Queen Marie Amélie’s sapphire set, a necklace belonging to Queen Hortense, and a pair of emerald earrings once worn by Empress Marie Louise, according to the ministry.

Investigators said the robbers arrived between 9:30 and 9:40 a.m. — just minutes after the museum opened to the public. They reportedly rode scooters and used the ladder hoist to enter the building through a side window.

A witness named Samir, who was cycling nearby, told TF1 that he saw the men scale the hoist, break the window, and enter “in about 30 seconds." He added that he later saw four men leaving on scooters and immediately alerted the police.

The robbery occurred just 800 metres from Paris police headquarters. Louvre officials said the museum was closed “to preserve traces and clues crucial to the investigation."

News world Louvre Heist: CCTV Shows Thief Cutting Through Glass Before Fleeing With Priceless Jewels | Watch

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