In just under 10 minutes, thieves stole “priceless” jewelry from the Apollo Gallery after using a truck-mounted ladder to break into a second-floor window of the Louvre Museum.
The Break-In
To get to the second floor, two robbers climbed up a monte-meubles, a truck-mounted electric ladder that is a common sight on the streets of Paris, where it is used to ferry bulky furniture through the windows of apartments.
They then used power tools to break the glass of the balcony window and enter the gallery, setting off a security alarm.
Grabbing the Jewels
Once inside the gallery, the thieves smashed two display cases and snatched eight precious objects, setting off additional alarms. The items included a royal sapphire necklace, a royal emerald necklace and a diadem worn by Empress Eugénie, the wife of Napoleon III, France’s 19th-century ruler.
In their haste to leave, the robbers dropped a ninth item, which the authorities recovered later: Empress Eugénie’s crown, which features 1,354 diamonds, 1,136 rose-cut diamonds and 56 emeralds.
Five museum staff members were either in or near the gilded Apollo Gallery. Following the Louvre’s security protocol, they contacted the police, “prioritizing the protection of people,” according to a statement by the French ministry of culture.
Security guards evacuated the museum.
The Escape
The thieves left the museum by climbing back down the ladder, where they made their getaway with two other members of the team who were waiting on motor scooters.
Police were still searching for the thieves on Monday. Laure Beccuau, the Paris prosecutor, said that 60 investigators were questioning witnesses, combing through forensic evidence and reviewing footage from surveillance cameras in the museum and on the street.
