5 Famous American Robberies
Dynamite. Halloween masks. Stolen identities. These are a few of the tools and tactics used in some of America's most famous heists — and some of the robbers got away with it. 💰
The most sensational heists in U.S. history...
The Great Train Robbery
In 1923, twins Ray and Roy D'Autremont and their brother, Hugh attempted to rob the Gold Special, a mail train, in southern Oregon. They believed it was carrying around $40,000 in gold. But in executing the heist, they used too much dynamite, blowing up everything of value
on the train and killing 4 people.
The Brink's Robbery
After 2 years of planning 11 thieves set out to rob Brinks, as a private security firm in Boston. Dressed like employees and wearing rubber Halloween masks they entered Brinks with a copied key, on January 17, 1950 and made off with $2.7 million. The robbers almost got away with it. But years later, internal wrangling about money led one of their members to testify against the gang. They were arrested just days before the statute of limitations on their crime expired.
“D.B. Cooper”
Calling himself “Dan Cooper,” a still-unknown man bought a ticket on a flight for Seattle in 1971. He soon told a flight attendant that he had a bomb in his bag and demanded 4 parachutes and $200,000. He then allowed 36 passengers to disembark in Seattle before moving toward Mexico City. En route, he parachuted from the plane with the money. “D.B. Cooper” then disappeared and became an American legend.
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Theft
Disguised as police officers responding to a disturbance call 2 men entered Boston’s Gardner Museum. The thieves locked 2 guards in a basement and stole 13 works of art by world renowned artists like Rembrandt, Manet, Vermeer worth more than $500 million. The theft is still under investigation, with the museum offering a reward of $10 million.
The Dunbar Armored Robbery
In 1997, Allen Pace, a fired security officer of armored car company Dunbar, enlisted the help of his childhood friends to carry out a $18.9 million heist. Using a stolen key, and his knowledge of the site, Pace and his crew stole the cash and escaped in a rented truck. But 2 years later they were caught via a U-Haul taillight found at the scene. They were all arrested, and less than half of the money was recovered.
Brut.
The most sensational heists in U.S. history...
The Great Train Robbery
In 1923, twins Ray and Roy D'Autremont and their brother, Hugh attempted to rob the Gold Special, a mail train, in southern Oregon. They believed it was carrying around $40,000 in gold. But in executing the heist, they used too much dynamite, blowing up everything of value
on the train and killing 4 people.
The Brink's Robbery
After 2 years of planning 11 thieves set out to rob Brinks, as a private security firm in Boston. Dressed like employees and wearing rubber Halloween masks they entered Brinks with a copied key, on January 17, 1950 and made off with $2.7 million. The robbers almost got away with it. But years later, internal wrangling about money led one of their members to testify against the gang. They were arrested just days before the statute of limitations on their crime expired.
“D.B. Cooper”
Calling himself “Dan Cooper,” a still-unknown man bought a ticket on a flight for Seattle in 1971. He soon told a flight attendant that he had a bomb in his bag and demanded 4 parachutes and $200,000. He then allowed 36 passengers to disembark in Seattle before moving toward Mexico City. En route, he parachuted from the plane with the money. “D.B. Cooper” then disappeared and became an American legend.
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Theft
Disguised as police officers responding to a disturbance call 2 men entered Boston’s Gardner Museum. The thieves locked 2 guards in a basement and stole 13 works of art by world renowned artists like Rembrandt, Manet, Vermeer worth more than $500 million. The theft is still under investigation, with the museum offering a reward of $10 million.
The Dunbar Armored Robbery
In 1997, Allen Pace, a fired security officer of armored car company Dunbar, enlisted the help of his childhood friends to carry out a $18.9 million heist. Using a stolen key, and his knowledge of the site, Pace and his crew stole the cash and escaped in a rented truck. But 2 years later they were caught via a U-Haul taillight found at the scene. They were all arrested, and less than half of the money was recovered.
Brut.