A statue, identical to the ones pictured, was snatched from this Howard Beach property in late August. Photo by Michael V. Cusenza
A distraught New Howard Beach homeowner this week reached out to The Forum for some assistance in tracking down a decorative statue that was snatched from his property about a month ago.
Rocco, who asked that his last name not be published for the safety and security of his family, said that he is offering a $100 reward for the return of the statue, which he indicated is now impossible to replace because the Long Island manufacturer no longer produces or sells the hand-crafted cement figures.
“I feel violated,” Rocco said on Monday.
He told The Forum that one morning he noticed that one of the series of identical statues that adorn the pillars on the perimeter of his property was missing. Rocco immediately went to check the security camera footage, and as the time-stamp clicked over to 12:04 a.m. he watched a black, four-door sedan pull up perpendicular to his driveway, behind his wife’s car. Rocco said a white woman, probably in her 40s, between 5-foot-2 and 5-foot-5 inches tall with short hair, wearing green shorts and a grey top, exited the driver’s side and began to matter-of-factly check each statue, ostensibly to determine which were not fully adhered to their pillars. She discovered the one loose figure, picked it up, carried it to the car, placed it in the trunk, returned to the driver’s seat and drove off toward Cross Bay Boulevard. The angle of the camera made capturing even part of a license plate impossible.
“I put a lot of love into my property,” Rocco said. “Just to see the video made me sick; how she did it—like it was nothing, like it was her job. I felt like this person had no shame.”
He said that in the days following the incident he filled out a police report and drove around the neighborhood, convinced that the culprit either resides in or visits the area. The beloved statue did not turn up.
Rocco noted that he still has faith that the statue will be returned to him, and that he has not let this incident deter him from future home beautification projects.
“You can’t let people destroy your passion,” he said.
By Michael V. Cusenza
