BOULDER, Colo. — Artwork valued at more than $400,000 was stolen from a locked truck in Boulder on Dec. 14 and police are now asking for the public's help locating the pieces.
On Tuesday, the Boulder Police Department said a company was transporting five pieces of high-end artwork across the country and stayed at a hotel along the 5300 block of South Boulder Road. The next morning, they found that a person had cut the truck's padlock and stolen the art, plus tools that were in the truck, according to police.
The five missing pieces are valued at more than $400,000, police said.
This is a rare kind of incident, said Boulder Det. Raul Montano.
"It seems like a movie, right?" he said. "It's still early stages of the investigation."
He said he has spoken with experts to gain more knowledge on some possible next steps when dealing with expensive art. The FBI is also involved, he said.
"It's a very selective market when it comes to this type of thing," he said.
The artwork was headed to Englewood and Santa Fe, New Mexico. The motive for stealing the pieces remains under investigation. Montano said it's not clear if somebody just wanted to break into a truck and didn't know what they took, or if they targeted the truck because of its contents.
The experts Montano has spoken with said they are in touch with auction houses in case the pieces turn up there.
Anybody with information on this crime can call the detective at 303-441-1906 with reference case No. 22-12364.
Images of the stolen artwork are below.
