When ‘action is needed quickly’: the manufacturer of the elevator used in the Louvre theft makes jokes and turns the crime into advertising. The Louvre President admits to ‘insufficient’ surveillance system and advocates for a police station inside the museum following the robbery.
In less than seven minutes, a group of three to four people invaded the Apollo Gallery, where the Crown Jewels and other historical jewelry are kept, taking eight priceless pieces. The estimated loss was 88 million euros (about $550.2 million). Watch the escape moment:
The museum reopened this Wednesday (22), for the first time since the crime, but the Apollo Gallery remains closed to the public. According to the Paris Prosecutor’s Office, investigations are ongoing and four individuals have been identified at the scene, although there are still doubts if others were involved.
The assailants parked a crane under one of the museum’s balconies, climbed up, opened a window with a radial saw, and accessed the room. With their faces covered, they stole nine jewels, including a pearl tiara from Empress Eugénie and a set of sapphire necklace and earrings from Queen Maria Amélia.
The thieves fled with the relics using a crane to invade and later escape with the items. During the getaway, a crown was abandoned, and the cargo elevator used in the operation was later identified as equipment from the German company Böcker, which ironically used the episode in a publicity campaign.
Illustrations reconstruct how criminals used the crane to enter the museum and escape in 7 minutes:
1. The crane: the unlikely entrance
Around 9:30 am, the criminals positioned a crane attached to a truck outside the Louvre, facing the Seine river. Disguised as workers in yellow vests to avoid detection, they used the equipment to reach the historic building’s first floor.
2. The window: invasion point
With the crane, two thieves gained access to a side window of the Apollo Gallery, where the French crown jewels are kept. The entry was quick and precise, without triggering alarms immediately.
3. Internal access via the cargo elevator
Inside the museum, the invaders used a service elevator to descend to the main showcase area.
4. The theft: action in seven minutes
In the gallery, the criminals smashed the display cases with precision tools and collected eight 19th-century jewels, including tiaras, necklaces, and brooches from the French royalty. The alarm was activated, but they were undeterred – no shots were fired, and the action lasted only seven minutes.
5. The escape
With the stolen items in backpacks, the four thieves left the museum through the same windows they entered and fled on two motorcycles waiting outside.
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