Police on Thursday were looking for a person they say stole a gold-plated metal flower from a 9/11 memorial at a Manhattan church.
The unidentified suspect walked into the Church of St. Francis of Assisi on West 31st Street in Midtown around 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, according to NYPD officials. Police said the person was captured on surveillance video taking the long, thin artwork from the memorial, where it stood tall among three pieces of twisted steel recovered from the wreckage of the original World Trade Center.
The memorial commemorates those lost in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, including Friar Mychal Judge, who served as chaplain for the FDNY, according to the church.
The suspect fled in an unknown direction in a brown plaid shirt and blue jeans, said police, who are investigating the incident as a grand larceny case.
Church staff were not immediately reachable for comment on Thursday morning.
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