In a shocking overnight raid, more than a thousand invaluable artifacts were stolen from a storage facility belonging to the Oakland Museum of California. This theft, which included Native American baskets, jewelry, and other culturally significant items, has triggered a joint investigation by the FBI and the Oakland Police Department.
The burglary occurred in the early hours of October 15, 2025, around 3:30 a.m. The thieves targeted the museum’s off-site storage, making off with over 1,000 pieces, many of which hold significant historical value for California’s cultural tapestry.
The FBI’s Art Crime Team, a specialized group with about 20 agents dedicated to tackling art theft, forgery, fraud, and cultural property trafficking, is actively involved in the ongoing investigation. Their expertise is crucial in handling cases of this nature, which threaten to erase irreplaceable elements of cultural heritage.
Among the stolen items are treasured Native American baskets, distinctive jewelry, and even laptops, making this not only a loss of historical artifacts but also an assault on the preservation of California’s history.
Lori Fogarty, the executive director and CEO of the Oakland Museum of California, expressed deep concern over the incident. “This theft is a blatant act that deprives the public of our state’s cultural legacy,” she stated. Fogarty emphasized the importance of these objects, many of which were generously donated, and assured that the museum is collaborating closely with city officials, local police, and the FBI to ensure their recovery.
“This theft represents a brazen act that robs the public of our state’s cultural heritage,” Lori Fogarty, executive director and CEO of the Oakland Museum of California said. “Most of these objects have been given to the museum by generous donors. We are working in close partnership with the City of Oakland, the Oakland Police Department, and the FBI to see that these objects are returned.”
Fogarty said the museum is working to complete an inventory of the stolen items and determine their total value. No arrests have been made.
An undated photo released by the Oakland Museum of California on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2025, shows the “Slot-Hinged Titanium Neckpiece” by artist Florence Resnikoff at the museum in Oakland, California. (Oakland Museum of California via Oakland PD)
Authorities are urging anyone with information to contact the OPD Burglary Section at (510) 238-3951 or the FBI Art Crime Team at Tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI.
The Oakland break-in happened just days before a shocking $102 million jewel heist at the Louvre Museum in Paris that stunned the art world and raised new questions about museum security worldwide.
An undated photo released by the Oakland Museum of California on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2025, shows Florence Resnikoff’s “Rutilated Quartz Dome Neckpiece” on display at the museum in Oakland, California. (Oakland Museum of California via Oakland PD)
On Oct. 19, 2025, a crew of thieves used a basket lift to scale the Louvre’s façade, forced open a window, and smashed display cases before escaping with a trove of royal jewels in just eight minutes, according to French officials.
The Louvre’s director, Laurence des Cars, acknowledged there was a “terrible failure” in the museum’s security.
A police car parks in the courtyard of the Louvre museum, one week after the robbery, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
The thieves slipped away with a total of eight objects, including a sapphire diadem, necklace and single earring from a set linked to 19th-century queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense.
They also stole an emerald necklace and earrings tied to Empress Marie-Louise, Napoleon Bonaparte’s second wife, and a reliquary brooch. Empress Eugénie’s diamond diadem and her large corsage-bow brooch — an imperial ensemble of rare craftsmanship — were also part of the loot.
Eugénie’s emerald-set imperial crown with more than 1,300 diamonds was later found outside the museum, damaged but recoverable.
