Willem Dafoe's Rome Apartment Burgled by Way of...What?!

Thief uses ropes and mountain-climbing gear to break in and steal thousands in jewelry and other items from actor's home

By Peter Gicas May 24, 2011 1:50 PMTags
Willem DafoePascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Where's that friendly neighborhood Spider-Man when you really need him?

Not in Rome, apparently, where a burglar robbed Willem Dafoe's apartment on Sunday night, a rep for the actor confirms to E! News.

Sure, the thesp might be known for portraying the webslinger's nemesis, the Green Goblin, but doesn't Peter Parker realize he was only acting?

Here's what went down. And you won't believe how the thief got in...

Rather than pick the lock, it seems the crook opted for a less conventional way to enter the penthouse pad—by utilizing ropes and mountain-climbing gear, according to the New York Post.

Neither Dafoe nor his Italian wife, Giada Colagrande, were there at the time, but authorities were made aware of the break-in thanks to an alarm system.

The Post reports that a Rome police spokesperson said jewelry was among the items stolen, "but we are waiting for the owner to return to draw up a full list." While initial reports out of Italy claim $4,200 worth of items were taken, a rep for the Oscar-nominated star insists it was much less and, as far as he knows, the suspect has not been caught.

"It was an individual who took around $3,000 worth of items from the home," the rep tells us.

Either way, that's still a lot of green for those goblins.