Opportunistic Thieves Rob Oakland Museum of 1,000+ Objects
56Nov. 4, 2025
TheOakland Museum of Californialost more than one thousand items in an October 15 break-in targeting the museum’s 100,000-square-foot off-site storage facility. Among the objects purloined in the 3:30 a.m. raid were a half-dozen Native American baskets and several nineteenth-century scrimshaw objects, including a set of walrus tusks. Daguerreotypes, jewelry, and laptops were also taken, as were memorabilia such as political pins and award ribbons. The museum announced the theft on October 29, having delayed doing so in order not to hinder an investigation into the matter being conducted by the Oakland Police Department and the FBI’s artcrimeteam.
According to a statement released by the museum on October 31, investigators believe the crime was one of opportunity. “There is no indication that the perpetrators specifically identified the facility as museum storage or sought particular artworks or artifacts,” wrote the museum. “Instead, it appears they gained access and took items that were most easily available.” The storage facility is home to roughly two million objects, many of them donated to the institution. It is protected by security cameras and an alarm system.
Of particular note are the baskets, details regarding which are currently being withheld at the request of the associated tribe in order to aid the investigation.
“This is a loss not only for OMCA, but for the broader community,” said Lori Fogarty, the museum’s executive director and CEO, in a statement. “The Museum takes its responsibility to steward California’s history and cultural legacy with the utmost seriousness and remains committed to recovering the stolen items and ensuring their continued care for future generations.”
The theft took place just days before the brazen daylight robbery of the Louvre in Paris, in which $102 million worth of Napoleonic jewels of tremendous importance to France were taken. To date, four people have been charged in connection with that caper; the gems have not yet been recovered.