What The Heck Is Wrong With People? Thieves Steal Memorials In Ansonia, Derby And Shelton

by Eugene Driscoll | Dec 1, 2011 5:15 pm

Add Ansonia to the list of lower Valley communities victimized by people ripping off memorial plaques and tablets.

Ansonia police sent out a press release Thursday afternoon saying two of the city’s seven plaques at a large War Memorial at the intersection of Woodbridge Avenue and Vesselli Court were stolen.

The stolen Ansonia tablets contain the names of war heroes who served in World War II and Vietnam, according to police Lt. Andrew Cota.

This World War II tablet was stolen in Ansonia.

PHOTO: Jodie Mozdzer
The plaque was stolen from this rock off Howe Avenue in Shelton.

“It appears as if the actor(s) unscrewed the mounting bolts and removed both plaques and fled the area. At this time it is undetermined exactly when the plaques were stolen,” Cota said in a prepared statement.

The plaques are made of copper and brass. Police believed they were stolen to be sold at a scrap metal yard.

The Valley Indy first reported Thursday afternoon that another memorial plaque was also stolen in Shelton.

The old plaque — dedicated to Commodore Isaac Hull — was torn from a stone in the area of Howe Avenue and Kneen Street, near the Route 8 north entrance ramp.

A city parks worker noticed the plaque was missing Nov. 22.

Detective Sgt. Kevin Ahern is investigating. He said Thursday he was researching the plaque’s history and trying to confirm it was a Commodore Hull plaque.

The memorial tablet in Shelton, before it was ripped off. Image from www.hmdb.org

“I remember seeing it as a little kid. It was there my whole life, and I’m 57 years old,” Ahern said.

The Shelton plaque measured about 24 inches by 18 inches, Ahern said.

Update: A reader e‑mailed this link to a website with a complete history of the plaque.

It was a memorial tablet installed in 1951 by the Derby Historical Society. Click here to read more about the tablet.

On Nov. 29, Derby veterans were shocked to see that someone pried off three large plaques in Witek Park dedicated to World War II Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Frank P. Witek, who was born in Derby.

Click here to read how Witek earned the Medal of Honor.

Police are investigating all the thefts.

Ahern said police all over are seeing huge increases in thefts of metals — aluminum, copper, gold and bronze.

Police have been contacting scrap metal yards in the region alerting them to the stolen memorials.

If you have information about the Ansonia theft, call 203 – 735-1885.

If you have information about the Derby theft, 203 – 735-7811.

If you have information about the Shelton theft, 203 – 924-1544.

The Wall Street Journal published a story in August saying the price of bronze has tripled since 2008. As of August, it was $7 per pound, according to the Journal.

The Journal reported that sculptors were starting to abandon the metal in their art work because it was becoming too expensive.

Click here to read the report.

Copper is a main component of bronze. The value of copper, which is used in a plethora of materials, has skyrocketed, too.

Here are photos of the Witek plaques. Story continues below.

Here are some past stories on metal thefts in the lower Naugatuck Valley:

Shelton Man Charged In Ansonia Copper Theft

Derby Man Charged After Allegedly Trying To Steal Copper In Oxford

Aluminum Posts, Other Items, Stolen In Oxford

Copper Pipes Stolen From Houses In Oxford

Property Owner Catches Seymour Burglar In The Act

Seymour And Oxford Men Charged With Trying To Steal Copper

Two Charged With Stealing Copper In Oxford