OPD and FBI Partner to Investigate Major Theft of Oakland Artifacts

Published on October 29, 2025

Items stolen from the Oakland Museum of California off-site facility

Immediate Release: October 29, 2025

OPD NEWS:

OPD and FBI Partner to Investigate Major Theft of Oakland Artifacts

The Oakland Police Department (OPD), in collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), is investigating a burglary that occurred just before 3:30 a.m. on October 15, 2025, at the Oakland Museum of California’s off-site storage facility. 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 pictured above.

“The theft that occurred represents a brazen act that robs the public of our state’s cultural heritage,” said Oakland Museum of California Executive Director and CEO Lori Fogarty. ”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.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact the OPD Burglary Section at (510) 238-3951. You can also contact the FBI Art Crime Team at Tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI.

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.