Transcription
And for our next story, we turn to Paris, the city of art, romance, and now a real life crime thriller. Four mass thieves, a ladder, a motorbike escape, and a 7-minute window. That's all it took to pull off the Lou's boldest burglary in years.
As tourists lined up for selfies, the Mona Lisa, a gang of thieves decided Napoleon's jewels needed a change of address. Tonight, we're bringing you the story of the Lou's heist of 2025, complete with drama, diamonds, and just the right amount of French flare.
"Move over, Mona Lisa."
"There is a new masterpiece in Paris, and it's called the Great Lou Heist of 2025."
[Music]
On October 19th, as tourists queued for a selfie with Dainci's famous lady, four audacious thieves decided that Napoleon's jewels needed a new home, preferably their own pockets. Sporting balaclavas and apparently a flare for dramatic entrances, the gang pulled up along the same. And in a scene that could double as a Hollywood stunt, they used a vehicle-mounted extendable ladder to reach the second floor Apollo Gallery. Angle grinders in hand. They were in and out within seven minutes to be exact.
"It's deeply sad. And I mean, yes, one might think, well, these are jewels, empress's jewels after all. France is a republic. But we would be wrong to say that because it was the republic that wanted by creating the Louv that masterpieces as they were called of human genius could be presented to all citizens. So in reality it was not the deceased empresses Josephine and Eugenie nor their families who were robbed but the French citizens."
Now here's what they took from the museum. Eight priceless pieces, including necklaces, earrings, and a diadem with nearly 2,000 diamonds, and a sapphire tiara once gracing France's last queen, Mariam. But hey, even the best thieves aren't perfect. They dropped the Empress Eugene's crown, which has 1,354 diamonds, 56 emeralds. Talk about selective shopping.
After the incident, dozens of tourists flocked to the site of the incident.
"I would like to understand for myself how it was done, how they were able to actually put a small van in a freight elevator and climb up. Well, it all happened very quickly, of course, but I wanted to see the site with my own eyes."
"Uh we came to do some shopping and then we figured um why don't we just go see like what happened cuz we found out yesterday when it happened that um people broke into the loop and we were like just intrigued by what it was."
Alarms blared, guards scrambled, and the thieves made a stylish exit on motorbikes. They even left behind some of the equipment used in the heist. They also tried a bit of pyrochnics by attempting to torch their getaway vehicle.
Memes have officially broken the internet after the Louv heist with one user marveling that the thieves didn't even wake up at dawn, proving even French thieves have better work life balance than the rest of us. Another joked that stealing from the Louv is robbery, but stealing from the British Museum must be rear robbery. While someone else admitted they can't hear about the Apollo Gallery raid without imagining the ocean's 11 theme music playing in the background.
Parisian sarcasm made its debut, too. One user quipped that at the Lou, jokes come first, riot second, and tears later. While another reassured that the Mona Lisa is still smiling and tourists can still cue. Someone else wisely suggested Romans were onto something with geese as guards. Picture 50 honking sentinels on balconies, tougher than any glass case.
The Lou remained closed on October 20th as investigators combed the gallery. The French police have now stepped up the hunt for thieves as over 60 investigators work on the case. And Paris debates whether museum security needs a glow up. Meanwhile, the thieves audacity is being immortalized in gifts and memes.
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