Police are looking for a thief who stole tens of thousands of dollars worth of doors and air vents from Beth Olam Cemetery, a historic Jewish burial grounds in the “cemetery belt” on the border of Queens and Brooklyn.
At approximately 10:45 a.m. on April 21, police received a report that 14 doors and about 50 air vents were stolen from numerous mausoleums throughout the cemetery. The items have an estimated value of $24,000.
Law enforcement sources said they do not consider the theft to be a hate crime.
“Usually the items that have been removed are made of copper, and they’re used for scrap metal,” said an NYPD spokesperson.
The cemetery, which was established in 1851, contains dozens of mausoleums. These granite art deco structures, typically erected prior to and during the 1930s, are rare in historical Jewish graveyards.
No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing.
