Credit: Montefiore Cemetery.
A series of thefts at local cemeteries across the area has left families and workers grappling for answers.
According to police, mausoleum doors, which contain rare metals and are valued between $15,000 to $30,000, have been stolen from cemeteries in Philadelphia, Delaware, Bucks and Montgomery counties over the last month.
"It was shocking, to say the least," Samantha Bromley, the general manager of Montefiore Cemetery in Jenkintown, told ABC 6. "They had been taken off the hinges, the glass had been removed out of the window portion and set down."
The thefts at Montefiore Cemetery took place on Feb. 10. Three sets of mausoleum doors were stolen, likely overnight, and same criminals attempted to come back the next week, according to the article.
"My understanding is that we are not the only cemetery that has suffered this," she said.
According to the article, thefts of this kind have taken place at several cemeteries across the area. These include:
Each door weights more than 200 lbs. each.
"It's desecration of a grave," Bromley said in the interview.
"We are troubled by the recent theft of large, heavy mausoleum doors at our Saints Peter and Paul Cemetery and Sunset Memorial Park locations. These criminal acts were a violation of the peaceful sanctuaries that so many our community members utilize and rely upon to connect with their deceased loved ones," said Michele Stone, spokesperson for Saints Peter and Paul Cemetery. "We are cooperating fully with the police investigations and encourage anyone with relevant information to immediately share it with the authorities. It is imperative that all community members and visitors respect these spaces of reflection and quiet contemplation."
