A 600-pound statue of Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson was found on Oct. 25 after it was stolen from Detroit’s Rogue Park, the Detroit Police Department said.
According to The Associated Press, the bronze statue of Jefferson was sawed off at its ankles. Investigators for the department believe that it was stolen sometime between Oct. 23 and Oct. 24.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said officers determined the time of the theft by canvassing the neighborhood and pulling security footage.
“(Officers) found out the person who rented it was suspected of other robberies,” Duggan told reporters at a press conference. “They ran him down in real-time, caught him. He turned over the statue, confessed, and we made two arrests.”
According to the Detroit Free Press, authorities believe the statue was stolen and transported via a moving truck.
The city installed the life-sized statue of Jefferson near an area of the park where he often flew model planes before he died in June 2022. He was 100 years old.
Jefferson’s granddaughter, Ernestine Lavergne said in a statement on Oct. 24 that the theft saddened and disheartened her family.
“This statue has stood not just as a piece of art, but as a symbol of our community’s history, values, and collective memory. To many, it represents a cherished reminder of our shared past and the lessons we carry forward,” Lavergne said. “This act of theft goes beyond vandalism; it is a loss to everyone who found meaning, connection, and pride in that statue and the heroic actions of the Tuskegee Airmen.”
Jefferson was a member of the famed Red Tails group that flew during World War II. During one mission in 1944, he had his plane shot down and was captured as a prisoner of war. Thankfully, he would return to Detroit, where he became a teacher and helped create a Tuskegee Airmen chapter in Detroit.
His statue was unveiled in Detroit in June 2024. “Lt. Col. Jefferson was a hero in every sense of the word and so richly deserves this honor,” Duggan said then.
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