Rising Metal Prices Fuel Thefts of Bronze Statues and Plaques
A criminal justice professor describes a wave of bronze statue and plaque thefts across Southern California as an emergent crime. The thefts are being driven by copper prices that have reached more than $6 per pound. In Santa Ana, thieves cut a $50,000 Jesus statue from its base, and other incidents targeted veterans memorial plaques and a lifeguard memorial marker.
A scholar who tracks stolen metals says these incidents represent a newer pattern in Southern California. He is Ben Stickle, a professor at Middle Tennessee State University. The financial incentive comes from copper’s market value, which has climbed above six dollars per pound.
In Santa Ana, an electric tool was used to sever a $50,000 religious sculpture at its feet before it was removed from a Catholic church property. Elsewhere, plaques commemorating military services were taken from a veterans site, and a tribute to an early lifeguard lost its plaque.
These thefts may unsettle congregations, veterans’ groups, and coastal communities that rely on public memorials to preserve shared history. Replacement costs could strain nonprofit and municipal budgets, while stolen markers may leave families and local groups feeling that honored figures have been disrespected. If metal prices remain high, similar crimes could spread to other regions, prompting institutions to consider security measures, alternative materials, or tighter scrap-market oversight.