“Priceless” barely begins to describe the value of the crown jewels stolen in one of Paris’s boldest heists. These treasures, passed down through generations of royalty, vanished in minutes when a group of three or four thieves struck with ruthless precision. Using ladders and furniture lifts, they climbed to an upper balcony, smashed a window, and stormed into the Apollo Gallery, the heart of the Louvre’s royal collection.

Armed with small chainsaws, they tore open display cases and seized nine pieces of jewelry before escaping on motorcycles. The heist unfolded in broad daylight, around 9:30 a.m. A real-life scene that could have been ripped straight from Despicable Me 3, where Gru and his crew pull off a dazzling gem theft with cartoonish flair. Only this time, the chaos was terrifyingly real.

One crown, belonging to Empress Eugénie, was dropped and damaged in the escape. Forensic teams now scour the evidence, from shattered glass to abandoned tools, as the museum remains closed for “technical reasons.” This isn’t the Louvre’s first humiliation, following the theft of the Mona Lisa in 1911, the theft of the armor in 1983, and a painting in 1998. Yet, this daylight robbery raises a chilling question: how safe is the world from those who are willing to steal in plain sight?