The FBI released images of a pair of suspects Monday who are wanted in connection with the theft of more than 1,000 items from the Oakland Museum of California. 

The FBI and Oakland police hope that someone can help identify the men in the images, which were taken off security camera footage from the off-site storage facility where the theft took place. 

The FBI and the Oakland Police Department are seeking the public’s help in identifying the individual in the video frame grab who is believed to be responsible with another individual for the theft of items belonging to the Oakland Museum of California’s that were stolen just before 3:30 AM on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025, from the museum’s storage facility in Oakland, Calif. The unknown male suspect has a thin build, wore a black beanie, white face mask, plaid long-sleeve shirt, blue jeans, and black shoes. (FBI via Bay City News)

The first suspect is described as a thin man who was wearing a black beanie, a white face mask, a plaid long-sleeve shirt, blue jeans and black shoes. 

The second is described as a heavier man who was wearing a blue hoodie with white letters on the chest, blue pants, white shoes with black details and black gloves. 

The break-in, which happened at about 3:30 a.m. on Oct. 15, is being investigated as a “crime of opportunity,” rather than a targeted effort to take anything in particular. 

Missing items include political pins, award ribbons, souvenir tokens, six Native American baskets, several 19th-century scrimshaw objects, daguerreotypes, and modernist metalwork jewelry pieces, museum officials said.

“There is no indication that the perpetrators specifically identified the facility as museum storage or sought particular artworks or artifacts,” according to museum officials. “Instead, it appears they gained access and took items that were most easily available.”

The loss of the baskets is of particular concern, and the museum is communicating with the Native American tribe from which they originated, although tribal officials have asked the museum not to identify the tribe or release additional details about the items.

More than 1,000 items from the Museum’s collection, including Native American baskets, jewelry, laptops, and other historic artifacts were stolen during the Oct. 15 break-in (Oakland Police Department via Bay City News)

Investigators are asking anyone with information to contact the Oakland Police Burglary Section at (510) 238-3951 or submit a tip to the FBI Art Crime Team at tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324). Tips may remain anonymous.

A portion of the security camera footage can be viewed at youtu.be/vSFlsrz2Gh.

Kiley Russell writes primarily for Local News Matters on issues related to equity and the environment. A Bay Area native, he has lived most of his life in Oakland. He studied journalism at San Francisco State University, worked for the Associated Press and the former Contra Costa Times, among other outlets. He has covered everything from state legislatures, local governments, federal and state courts, crime, growth and development, political campaigns of various stripes, wildfires and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.