NYC Cemetery Plaques Stolen for Scrap Metal: A Historic Crime Wave

Thieves Target NYC Cemeteries for Scrap Metal

Historic plaques commemorating famous Americans have been stolen from cemeteries in the Lower East Side and Greenwich Village, highlighting a recent rise in metal theft across the city.

Andrew Berman, executive director of Village Preservation, reported the disappearance of at least two commemorative plaques. One honored writer Anaïs Nin while the other recognized Fillmore East, a legendary music venue. Another plaque, honoring Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to graduate from an American medical school, was also damaged.

This surge in metal theft is attributed to soaring scrap metal prices following the pandemic. Thieves have been targeting everything from streetlights and fire hydrants to historical plaques, seeking to profit from the high demand for scrap.

The New York Marble Cemetery on the Lower East Side became the latest victim, with a plaque commemorating its status as a city landmark and national historic site being stolen in broad daylight.

Caroline DuBois, president of the cemetery, said the theft was captured on surveillance video, showing a man calmly removing the plaque with a screwdriver and placing it in a backpack.

The theft highlights the vulnerability of historical sites to opportunistic criminals and the impact of fluctuating commodity prices on everyday life.

City Overspent on Hotels for Migrants

An audit by NYC Comptroller Brad Lander revealed that the city overspent on hotel rooms for migrants, including $833,340 for unused rooms in Orangeburg, N.Y., and $569,500 for rooms near Kennedy Airport.

The audit found that the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) failed to exercise adequate oversight after awarding a $432 million no-bid contract to DocGo, a firm facing scrutiny for its handling of migrant services.

Investigators concluded that HPD allowed DocGo to understaff hotels, overbill for security, and hire subcontractors without proper vetting. The audit found that only 20% of DocGo invoices reviewed should have been paid.

Lander is recommending the city try to retrieve over $11 million based on a review of two months of invoices, and the potential amount of misspent money could exceed $100 million over the past year.

Mayor Eric Adams defended the city’s handling of the migrant crisis, emphasizing the need for “planned insurance” against a sudden increase in demand for emergency housing.