Law enforcement officials are seeking the public's help in identifying an unauthorized visitor to Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum the night before a notorious burglary.
Video footage released Thursday, 25 years after the famous heist, shows a car pull up next to a rear entrance of the museum 24 hours before the burglary. The combined value of the 13 works of art stolen during the theft is at least $500 million, though the pieces are considered priceless within the art community.
The vehicle matches the general description of a car that was reported to have been parked outside the museum moments prior to the theft on March 18, 1990.
The video shows a man exiting the automobile and then being allowed inside the museum, against museum policy, by a security guard.
That event occurred at 12:49 a.m. on March 17, 1990.
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"We remain committed to one goal: the return of all 13 works to their rightful place, which is here at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. To that end, we support the efforts that the United States Attorney and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are making to uncover any and all information related to the theft of our artwork. We believe that no stone should be left unturned," says Anthony Amore, director of security at the Gardner Museum.
"It's somebody we would like to talk to, we don't know if they were involved in it, we don't know if this was a dry run," FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Peter Kowenhoven said.
Anyone with information regarding the video should call the FBI at (617) 742-5533 or the Isabella Gardner Museum at (617) 278-5114.
A $5 million reward has been offered by the museum for information that leads to the recovery of the stolen artwork in good condition.
No one has ever been charged in the heist.
Meanwhile, the possibility of a new lead is intriguing to museum visitors.
Hugh Davies, who works in a museum in California, used to run the UMass art gallery and remembers the theft well.
"It's surprising to hear the video existed and we never got to see it the last couple of decades," he said.
"If they can get any type of small lead to trace down who did and where the works are today, they should be restored here," Kathy Harmon, a visitor from Chicago, said.
