Louvre heist: Wild new footage shows moment alleged thieves escaped with jewels worth $157 million

Dramatic new footage of the Louvre heist has surfaced, revealing the moment two suspected thieves made their bold escape in broad daylight, with what is believed to be France’s crown jewels worth a staggering $157 million.

The thieves broke into the world-famous Paris museum on Sunday, using a crane-mounted ladder to reach a second-floor balcony.

From there, they allegedly used an angle grinder to slice through a window and enter the Apollo Gallery, just rooms away from the iconic Mona Lisa painting.

Once inside, they smashed through a display cabinet and seized eight “priceless” jewels in just minutes.

A now-viral video captures the suspects moments later, descending from the balcony in a slow, truck-mounted basket lift.

One alleged assailant can be seen wearing a high-vis vest, while the other is wearing a motorcycle helmet.

While the footage cuts off before they reach the ground, it has been widely reported that they fled the scene on electric scooters.

Museum staff can be heard panicking in the background as the suspects make their slow-motion getaway.

WATCH THE VIDEO IN THE PLAYER ABOVE.

Many in France and around the world have been baffled by how four hooded assailants were able to drive up to the world’s most visited museum, smash a second-floor window and make off with a handsome booty without getting caught.

Astonishingly, the Louvre’s cameras failed to detect the thieves in time to prevent their audacious daylight heist.

French Ministers have admitted that serious security lapses occurred.

“We did not detect the thieves’ arrival early enough,” Laurence des Cars, the Louvre director, told a Senate committee, blaming it on the fact that there were not enough cameras outside monitoring the perimeter of the museum.

“Despite our efforts, despite our hard work every day, we were defeated,” she said.

The exterior security cameras do not offer full coverage of the museum’s facade, she said, adding that the window through which the thieves broke in was not monitored by CCTV.

Ms des Cars offered her resignation but it has been refused by Culture Minister Rachida Dati, who has also come under fire as recriminations flew after the robbery.

The director insisted she had repeatedly warned that the centuries-old building’s security was in a dire state.

“The warnings I had been sounding came horribly true last Sunday,” she said.

She has pledged to establish no-parking perimeters in areas around the Louvre, upgrade the CCTV network and ask the interior ministry to set up a police station inside the museum.

- With Reuters