US novelist and essayist Jonathan Franzen had his glasses stolen at a launch party for his new novel Freedom at the Serpentine Gallery in London by two men who gate-crashed the event.
One snatched his glasses and escaped, while the other handed him a ransom note reading '$100,000 and the glasses are yours again' and included a hotmail email address, before also fleeing.
A police helicopter was dispatched to search for the thieves who fled across the Serpentine. One of them was apprehended and the glasses were returned.
The author described the incident as a harmless prank and said he would not be pressing charges.
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