Police across the Philly region are investigating the thefts of mausoleum doors worth thousands
Thefts are being investigated by police in Philadelphia, Bensalem, Abington, Lower Moreland, and Springfield in Delaware County, the police chief of Marple Township said.
Police from across the Philadelphia region are investigating thefts from cemeteries of mausoleum doors worth thousands of dollars each, police and cemetery officials say.
The groundskeeper at SS. Peter and Paul Cemetery reported to Marple Township police on Feb. 17 the theft of four doors from two mausoleums, said Brandon M. Graeff, the township’s police chief. A representative for the cemetery confirmed the theft there and added that its Sunset Memorial Park location in Huntingdon Valley also experienced a similar incident recently.
“These criminal acts were a violation of the peaceful sanctuaries that so many of our community members utilize and rely upon to connect with their deceased loved ones,” spokesperson Michele Stone said. “It is imperative that all community members and visitors respect these spaces of reflection and quiet contemplation.”
She added that the cemetery was looking at implementing enhanced security measures, including an increased police presence.
The thefts occurred between Feb. 14 and 17, and, according to the groundskeeper, each set is worth about $15,000, for a total of $30,000, Graeff said.
Marple Police Detective Dan Lazzari has been working with detectives investigating cemetery thefts in several other municipalities, including Philadelphia, Bensalem, Abington, Lower Moreland, and Springfield in Delaware County, Graeff said.
Huntingdon Valley’s Forest Hills/Shalom Memorial Park was also targeted, as was Roosevelt Memorial Park in Trevose. Several bronze mausoleum doors were stolen from those cemeteries late at night in recent months, a spokesperson said. Each door weighed more than 200 pounds.
“Theft is always wrong, but stealing from a resting place is particularly disturbing,” a spokesperson for the cemeteries said. “When we discovered the thefts, we immediately notified the proper authorities, who indicated to us that this is a common problem for cemeteries. We are working with the families affected to work out a solution, and we encourage anyone with information to contact local authorities.”
In addition, several mausoleum doors were taken from Montefiore Cemetery in Jenkintown last month, general manager Samantha Bromley said. That theft occurred Feb. 10, and another attempted theft was made a week later, she said. The stolen doors cost about $10,000 each.
“We do our best to take care of every person placed in our care, as well as their surviving family members,” Bromley said. “We were devastated to find that some of our private family mausoleums had been desecrated by the removal of their doors.”
Mount Sharon Cemetery in Springfield, Delaware County, meanwhile, experienced a theft in late February. A representative declined to provide further details as the cemetery continues working to reach family members of the person whose grave was desecrated.
In Philadelphia, at least two cemeteries experienced similar thefts dating as far back as December, city police said. Both incidents occurred in the Northeast, within about two miles of each other.
The first occurred at Oakland Cemetery on Dec. 20, when police responded to a report of a bronze door having been stolen from a mausoleum. A month later, on Jan. 31, officers responded to a theft at North Cedar Hill Cemetery in which two bronze doors were stolen.
Investigations into those thefts are ongoing, police said. Anyone with tips is urged to contact Northeast Detectives at 215-686-3153.
Graeff also stressed the police’s need for the public’s help in the investigation.
“It’s possible that the thefts could’ve happened during the day, so if anyone was at any of these cemeteries in February, especially over a weekend, and saw what they might have believed to be maintenance workers at a mausoleum, please call your local police,” Graeff said.
Witnesses or anyone else with helpful information for the investigation can email Marple Detective Lazzari at lazzari@marplepolice.com or leave a tip, which can be anonymous, at marplepolice.com, Graeff said.