On Oct. 19, four thieves dressed as construction workers stole eight pieces of the French Crown Jewels from the Galerie d’Apollon of the Louvre in Paris, France. These jewels are valued at around 102 million dollars, although this number does not consider the jewels’ immense historical value, which is considered far greater by officials.
The robbery took less than eight minutes, with only half the time spent in the Louvre. It happened at around 9:30 a.m., approximately 30 minutes after it opened.
“I am surprised that there isn’t better security or construction worker verification,” sophomore Laney Dierick said. “I am disappointed,”
The thieves arrived at the side entrances of the Louvre wearing orange and yellow vests, and two of them were covering their faces with balaclavas. They used a furniture lift to get up to the first floor and used a disc cutter to get access to the Galerie d’Apollo through the window, setting off the alarms. They threatened the guards with power tools and took nine pieces from the display, dropping one on the way out and left on motor scooters.
“I think it is intriguing since nothing like this has happened in so many years,” sophomore Scarlett Simon said. “It feels like something out of a movie.”
The items that were stolen were the tiara from the sapphire set of Queen Maria Amalia along with earrings and a necklace from the same set, Emerald necklace and earrings from Marie Louise’s set, Tiara of Empress Eugénie and large bodice bow of Empress Eugénie. The Crown of Empress Eugénie was also stolen and dropped, so French officials have recovered it, but it was pretty badly damaged.
“It is really surprising that they could pull it off,” history teacher Pierluigi Valceschini said. “It seems like our historical treasures should be better protected.”
On Oct. 25, two of the suspects from the French province Seine-Saint-Denis, who are both 30 years old, were found and arrested. One of them was found at the airport trying to escape France. The investigation and search for the other two thieves is ongoing, and the museum reopened on Oct. 22, though the Galerie d’Apollon remains closed.
“I hope they find the other thieves,” Dierick said. “We are in a time crunch since the jewels could be melted down and taken apart; it is important we find the jewels and the thief fast.”
