Thieves steal mausoleum doors worth thousands to sell to scrapyards, PA cops say
Police said they are investigating a string of thefts from cemeteries in the greater Philadelphia area.
Marple Township Police Chief Brandon Graeff said thieves have been stealing heavy mausoleum doors and selling them at scrapyards, WTXF reported.
“They’re bronze metal doors valued between $10,000 and $15,000,” Marple Police Detective Dan Lazzari told the outlet.
Authorities said doors have been stolen from mausoleums in seven cemeteries in Bucks, Philadelphia, Delaware and Montgomery counties, WPVI reported.
“Theft is always wrong, but stealing from a resting place is particularly disturbing,” a spokesperson for Forest Hills/Shalom Memorial Park and Roosevelt Memorial Park told the outlet.
Investigators said they believe the thefts are all related and ask anyone with information to contact local authorities, KYW reported.
“Even if they think it’s nothing, please call us,” Graeff told the outlet. “It could be linked to a lot of others.”
Missouri cemetery also hit by mausoleum thieves
Police in St. Louis County, Missouri, have reported a similar troubling trend.
Six “priceless” bronze mausoleum doors, each believed to weigh between 200 and 500 pounds, were reported stolen Feb. 2 from a cemetery in Affton, the St. Louis County Police Department’s Southwest Precinct said.
Authorities recently recovered one of the doors and said detectives are working to track down the others, according to a March. 5 Facebook post from the St. Louis County Police Department.
This story was originally published March 6, 2025 at 3:26 PM with the headline "Thieves steal mausoleum doors worth thousands to sell to scrapyards, PA cops say."
