More than 1,000 items from the Oakland Museum of California’s collection were stolen during a burglary at the museum’s off-site storage facility earlier this month, police said Wednesday.
The burglary happened just before 3:30 a.m. on Oct. 15, according to police. The suspect(s) broke into the storage facility and got away with various pieces, including Native American baskets, jewelry, laptops and other historic artifacts.
“The theft that occurred represents a brazen act that robs the public of our state’s cultural heritage,” Oakland Museum of California Executive Director and CEO Lori Fogarty said in a statement. “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 about the burglary is encouraged to contact the Oakland Police Department’s Burglary Section at 510-238-3951. The public can also contact the FBI Art Crime Team at tips.fbi.gov or by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI.