PITTSFORD, N.Y. – A Lyons man is accused of stealing dozens of bronze vases valued at more than $11,000 from White Haven Memorial Park in Pittsford. Deputies say he tried to pawn them off at a nearby scrapyard.
RELATED: Lyons man arrested after being accused of stealing several bronze vases from cemetery
“We’ve never ever had anything happen like this take place,” said JudieLynn Nassar McAvinney, president and CEO of White Haven Memorial Park. “Who does that?”
Visitors at the cemetery, such as Annette Warren, were shocked to hear about the theft.
“Seriously!” Annette Warren said, her mouth dropping open as she visited a friend’s burial site. “That’s crazy! How low do people go! How do you steal $11,000 worth of vases?”
According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Christopher Stefano entered multiple mausoleums around 2 p.m. on Thursday and stole 79 brass vases from inside and outside the burial monuments. Cemetery staff spotted the suspect and alerted authorities.
While deputies were on the scene, Premier Metal in East Rochester reported a man trying to sell the stolen vases.
McAvinney says they have multiple security measures in place, and there is a deputy presence.
“The good thing was our staff was vigilant and they were able to track this guy,” McAvinney said. “They followed him, they called the sheriff’s department. Like I said, if somebody was going to have a crime, this was the perfect crime that went wrong.”
When cemetery staff called Premier Metal, they were told the suspect was there ready to sell the bronze vases.
“Number one, he’s caught and we have retrieved the property,” McAvinney said. “Not that we would use it again because everybody will have brand new vases put on to their crypts.”
The crypts were not damaged, but glue residue was left behind where the vases were ripped off. The brass vases are an added memorial that families place as remembrance to their loved ones.
“I told you it’s like you don’t want to fight with the dead,” McAvinney said. “Not a good place to be.”
News10NBC reached out to Premier Metal. A representative on the phone said they do not support any criminal activity.
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