Over 1,000 valuable artifacts were taken in a daring heist in California, leading to an intense search effort.
The thieves successfully made off with historic items, such as Native American baskets, jewelry, and various other objects, from the storage facility of the Oakland Museum of California.
This theft took place around 3:30 a.m. on October 15, when culprits broke into the off-site location and made off with pieces from the museum’s collection.
In a press statement, Lori Fogarty, Executive Director and CEO of the Oakland Museum, expressed, “The theft that occurred represents a brazen act that robs the public of our state’s cultural heritage.”
Many of the stolen items had been donated by the museum’s benefactors, who are now cooperating ‘in close partnership’ with local authorities, police, and the FBI’s Art Crime Team to recover them.
Among the stolen pieces was the ‘Slot-Hinged Titanium Neckpiece’ by Florence Resnikoff, created in 1982. Additionally, scrimshaw walrus tusks were part of the looted items.
The Oakland Police Department (OPD) has stated that the investigation is being conducted in collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
On their official Facebook page, the police mentioned they are ‘investigating a burglary that occurred just before 3:30 a.m. October 15, 2025, at the Oakland Museum of California’s off-site storage facility’.
The department noted, “The suspect(s) broke into the facility and stole more than 1,000 items from the Museum’s collection, including Native American baskets, jewelry, laptops, and other historic artifacts.”
The police explained that the FBI Art Crime Team is a ‘highly specialized unit of approximately 20 agents across the United States who are tasked with investigating all matters related to art, whether it be theft of artwork, fraud, forgery, or, in this case, antiquities and cultural property trafficking’.
Interestingly, this burglary happened just a month after the museum had announced a new Native American exhibition showcasing historic fire practices, known as ‘good fire’.
‘Good Fire: Tending Native Lands’ is an exhibition that highlights how Native communities in Northern California have historically employed controlled fires to manage their lands.
The museum described in a press release that this exhibition was organized in collaboration with ‘Native fire practitioners, artists, ecologists, and cultural leaders based in Northern California’, and stated, “The exhibition begins with an immersive sensory environment simulating the experience of a cultural burn.”
This incident is part of a series of high-profile art thefts, including the recent burglary at the Louvre in France and the mysterious disappearance of a Pablo Picasso painting.
On October 26, news came out that several suspects had been arrested in relation to the Louvre robbery.
The public is urged to contact the OPD Burglary Section at (510) 238-3951, or the FBI Art Crime Team at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) if they have any information.