The plague of plaque thefts

The stories about the memorial plaque thefts around the neighborhood are generating national attention. 

The New York Times had more details on the noon-time theft of the marker outside the historic New York Marble Cemetery on Second Avenue. 

"The heist took 13 minutes 58 seconds, from the moment the man in the gray T-shirt appeared to the moment when he walked away, having slipped the loot into a backpack he slung over his shoulder." 

We posted a photo of the alleged suspect captured on surveillance video here. 

(Thanks to the Times for linking to our coverage of previous plaque thefts. It's nice to see, as too many local news sites pretend they were the first to report on a story. Also, H/T Bayou.) 

The Associated Press also has a piece specifically on Village Preservation-placed markers, the one outside the one-time home of the Fillmore East that we first reported on ... and one on 13th Street for Anaïs Nin.

Another honoring Elizabeth Blackwell at the former home of the New York Infirmary for Women and Children at 58 Bleecker St. was removed but left on the sidewalk for whatever reason. 

As you likely guessed, there is a market for scrap metal, "part of a disturbing trend that includes the theft of a statue of Jackie Robinson from a park in Kansas," according to the AP. 

Meanwhile, in the comments on Tuesday, an EVG reader noted the double plaque theft from outside the accounting-legal office at 55 Avenue A (see photo above). 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• The summer of stolen plaques continues with thefts at New York Marble Cemetery, the former Club 57