Thieves have been stealing bronze vases attached to memorial markers from Maple Grove Cemetery to sell them as scrap.
The problem at the Kew Gardens resting place started a little more than five years ago, as first reported by the New York Post. About 500 vases have been stolen so far, according to Bonnie Dixon, general manager at the cemetery.
“It’s just so disturbing,” Dixon said. “I can’t imagine how anybody would do that but people do and it's sad.”
The vases, which are engraved with the letters "MG" for Maple Grove, cost about $250 each and weigh about 2.5 pounds, Dixon said.
A pound of bronze sells for about $1.20 to $1.50, according to local scrap metal buyers.
