Blane David Nordahl

Blane David Nordahl (born April 19, 1962) is an American cat burglar, who was given the nickname "Burglar to the Stars" after his exploits at the homes of individuals such as Ivana Trump, Steven Spielberg, Curt Gowdy and Bruce Springsteen. A highly skilled burglar, at five feet-four inches and 150 pounds, Nordahl targeted the homes of wealthy individuals across the East Coast and showed an exclusive interest in stealing hallmarked antique sterling silver. Estimates of his crimes are hampered by lack of details for crimes he is only suspected of, and the early burglaries that have not been fully documented; a November 2000 U.S. News & World Report article attributed to him a value of burglaries of up to $3 million, a 2004 profile in The New Yorker quoted an estimate that he had stolen over $10 million worth of silver, and a New Jersey police detective featured in a 2015 episode of American Greed suggests that the decades-long crime spree is valued at upwards of $50 million. Despite his skill, by 2004 he had already been arrested at least eight times and had spent many years in prison, continuing with arrests and imprisonment thereafter, such as a sentence in Georgia in 2017, and a sentence in South Carolina in 2025.

Biography

Early life Nordahl was born April 19, 1962, the son of artist David Nordahl and his wife Sharon, and grew up in Albert Lea, Minnesota. He attended high school in Wisconsin, but dropped out and started work in the construction industry. He was soon arrested and served a short jail sentence. In these early years, he also spent time in prison for burglaries in Burlington County; on both occasions he was released early on parole for good behavior. New Jersey police detective, speaking in the second segment of the 2015 episode "Ea$y Being Green; Stealing the Silver Metal", of the series American Greed, suggests that the decades-long crime spree is valued at upwards of $50 million.

Further arrests Soon after being released on parole in April 2001, Nordahl went on the run, having committed more burglaries in Philadelphia. Using aliases, he avoided arrest until March 2002, when he was apprehended by US Marshals in Maple Shade Township, New Jersey. No new burglary charges were brought against him, but he was sentenced to two years in prison for probation violations.

He was discharged in November 2003, but was held in custody awaiting extradition to New York State to face charges of burglary and grand larceny made by the Dutchess County District Attorney's Office. Nordahl, however, became a fugitive again and avoided his extradition hearing.

During this time, a series of skillful mansion break-ins occurred along the East Coast, in which high values of sterling silver were taken. These initially puzzled their investigators, such as Philadelphia detective Jack McGiness, who later explained that "there were all these burglaries that had Nordahl's modus operandi all over them. We thought that he was locked up, but then discovered that he was not."

In August 2017, a court in Brunswick, Georgia gave Nordahl a sentence of 20 years, with a minimum of 11 years in prison, for a 2013 burglary in St. Simons.

In February 2025, a court in Aiken, South Carolina gave him a sentence of 12 years, but then credited him with six years for time served from his 2017 sentence in Georgia, for burglaries he committed in Aiken in 2013.

Motive and modus operandi Nordahl gained a reputation for his skilful and audacious burglaries, with comparisons being drawn with John Robie, the cat burglar portrayed by Cary Grant in the Alfred Hitchcock film To Catch a Thief. When interviewed in 2000, he stated: "It's like a natural high. It fills a void. A lot of times life can be very mundane, very tedious. You want something different."

Once inside a home, Nordahl was very particular about the items he stole. Only interested in genuine antique sterling silver, he would take drawers of items outside and test them using a silver test kit he took with him; plated silver items would be left behind.

His careful approach was refined over many years, as he learned from his mistakes. He began to throw away his clothes and shoes after each burglary after police used a shoe print to attribute a New Jersey burglary to Nordahl.