Metal theft in cities has reached new levels since the pandemic, with thousands of feet of streetlight wiring, hundreds of fire hydrants and even mausoleum plaques being stolen and resold for small amounts of money in cases across the country.
This “brazen” crime poses a serious safety risk to city residents, where copper wires are uprooted and public lights are frequently knocked out. The New York Times detail In an article on Tuesday.
In St. Paul, Minnesota, a man was reportedly “recently struck and killed by a car while crossing a road near his home where the street lights had gone out.”
Lorelie Wertz was left a widow after her husband and dog were hit by a truck on a “pitch black” road on Christmas Eve 2023. She and neighbors had been reporting the incident to the City of St. Paul for “months,” KSTP reported. report.
The tragedy occurred outside the couple’s home on Maryland Avenue West, where 64-year-old Steven Wertz and his 2-year-old German shepherd, Gunther, were hit by a car around 8:15 p.m.
“I can never get that scene out of my head,” his grieving wife told local media in March. “When I went outside and saw my husband, all I could do was scream: ‘They killed him.’ ‘They killed him. They killed him.’ All I could do was say it over and over again… I wanted to get close to him, to touch him again, to tell him I loved him, but I couldn’t move. All I could do was scream.”
Gunther also died in the accident.
Wiltz’s death highlights why we continue to install copper wire. [theft] “You never know what’s going to happen,” Kershaw said. “You can’t let your guard down.”
The copper for one lamppost is just About $30Based in Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Also, The New York Times More than 970,000 feet (184 miles) of electrical wiring was stolen from streetlights in the Las Vegas, Nevada area in the past two years alone.
In Los Angeles, California, the “Ribbon of Light” bridge is in “total darkness” after copper thieves stole the attraction’s wiring. Los Angeles Times report.
Just five years ago, the city saw around 500 to 600 reported cases of copper wire theft each year, according to the outlet. Last year alone, Los Angeles City Councilman Kevin de Leon (D) said there were 6,713 cases, costing the city more than $17 million in repairs.
“We need to understand that this is not just about stealing copper wire. It’s much more than that,” de Leon said. “These thieves are literally dismantling our city, looking for parts to sell for scrap.”
The safety hazard is compounded by the widespread theft of fire hydrants, with more than 290 missing across Los Angeles County since January.
Kate Nutting, general manager of Golden State Water, which owns the hydrants, said the hydrants are made primarily of steel and cost $4,000 to replace. In one area, as many as 10 hydrants have been stolen at one time, she said. The New York Times.
in statement According to information obtained by ABC7, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said it is “aware of and concerned about recent fire hydrant thefts affecting multiple jurisdictions within Los Angeles County.”
“Fire hydrant theft poses a threat to public safety because it impedes the ability of fire departments to respond quickly to fires and protect lives and property,” officials said.
They are expensive to replace, but like copper wire, thieves aren’t going to sell stolen fire hydrants for a high price.
“Why would they steal it? And you find out they’re only making like a hundred bucks from it. So they’re making a quick buck, but they’re putting a lot of people at risk,” Crystal Cousins, a Los Angeles County resident who lives between two of the recently stolen hydrants, told ABC7.
Officials in many cities are working with scrap metal recyclers to make sure they aren’t buying stolen goods, but the problem persists.
In other parts of California, thieves have even targeted historically Black cemeteries to steal their metal signs, Los Angeles Magazine reports. report.
A mausoleum plaque and memorial dedicated by boxer Joe Louis to “honor and memorialize the fallen black soldiers” at Lincoln Memorial Park Cemetery in Carson, near Compton, were stolen, along with a metal pipe used to water the lawn, cemetery volunteer Aisha Woods said.
Last month, thieves struck again, stealing a metal plaque from the mausoleum and smashing the door to its chamber. Times The report was noted.
“It’s like opening up a new wound,” Woods said. “It’s disrespectful to a sacred place.”
“They say thieves have a sense of honor,” said de Leon, the Los Angeles city councilman who pushed for the creation of the Metal Theft Task Force, “but when you steal a headstone, it’s even worse.”
