Thieves dressed as construction workers steal safe, jewelry valued at $3.2M from New York home

(NEW YORK) — A crew dressed in neon construction vests stole a safe containing jewelry — valued at more than $3.2 million — from a home in Queens, New York, after breaking in through a back door, police said Tuesday.

The theft occurred on Oct. 16, just after 2 p.m., when the suspects entered the Jamaica Hills-area home.

Once inside, the thieves removed a safe and jewelry valued at about $3.2 million and then fled in a blue Hyundai Elantra, police said.

It is not clear whether the home was occupied at the time, but the NYPD said no injuries were reported in the incident.

Police said two sought individuals in connection with the break-in appear to be male and were last seen wearing a black sweatshirt, black pants, black sneakers, a neon construction vest, a white construction hat, eye protective wear and were seen carrying black backpacks.

The third sought individual is described as a male and was last seen wearing a white hoodie sweater, black pants, gray sneakers, black gloves and seen operating and exiting a blue Hyundai Elantra.

The jewelry heist clad in construction gear came just days before a group of thieves broke into the Louvre Museum in Paris, stealing $102 million worth of jewels, including crowns, necklaces, earrings and a diamond-encrusted brooch that once belonged to Emperor Napoleon and his wife.

On Oct. 19, two of the thieves dressed as construction workers used a cherry picker to get up to the second floor of the museum, where they cut through the window of the Apollo Gallery using angle grinders, authorities said.

Upon entering the gilded gallery, the thieves used power tools to cut into the glass cases to reach the precious jewels, investigators said.

The entire theft took about seven minutes, according to investigators, and the stolen jewelry remains missing.