Germany Gelsenkirchen Bank Heist 2025: $105 Million Stolen in 'Ocean's Eleven' Style Raid

A professional gang of robbers pulled off one of the biggest thefts in German history over the Christmas holiday. By boring through a thick concrete wall of the Sparkasse bank in Gelsenkirchen, thieves managed to escape with items worth up to $105.7 million. The heist has left local authorities and bank customers in shock as the perpetrators remain at large.

The Methodology of the Germany Gelsenkirchen Bank Heist 2025

According to police reports, the robbers gained access to the bank from an adjacent parking garage. Using a massive drill, they penetrated the reinforced underground vault room during the quiet Christmas break. Once inside, they forced open over 3,000 safe-deposit boxes—roughly 95% of the branch’s total. A police spokesperson described the execution as "very professional," likening the energy and planning involved to the movie Ocean’s Eleven.

Missing Loot and Stolen Getaway Cars

The total value of the stolen cash, gold, and jewelry is estimated between 10 million and 90 million euros. Investigators noted that while the average insurance for each box is 10,000 euros, many victims reported contents worth significantly more. Surveillance footage captured a black Audi RS 6 with masked occupants fleeing the scene. The car's license plates were later discovered to have been stolen from Hanover, located 200km away.

A Rising Trend of High-Profile Thefts

This Gelsenkirchen heist follows a string of audacious robberies in 2025. In October 2025, the Louvre in Paris lost eight Napoleonic jewelry pieces in a seven-minute raid. Earlier, in March 2024, thieves in Los Angeles stole $30 million in cash from a secure facility. These events suggest a resurgence in sophisticated physical heists targeting tangible assets as global economic uncertainty lingers.