Thieves are stealing mausoleum doors from cemeteries around the region, including at SS. Peter & Paul Cemetery in Marple and St. Sharon Cemetery in Springfield, writes Beccah Hendrickson for 6abc.
The doors are valued for the rare minerals they contain. Besides the two Delaware County cemeteries, locations have also been hit in the last month in Philadelphia, Bucks and Montgomery counties.
SS Peter & Paul cemetery had two doors stolen, each weighing about 200 pounds, and “valued at about $15,000 each, so about a $30,000 total just from our cemetery,” said Marple Township Police Chief Brandon Graeff.
“It’s one thing to disturb and steal from someone’s final resting place, but you’re also trampling on the emotions of their loving loved ones,” said Graeff.
Three sets of doors were stolen Feb. 10 from Montefiore Cemetery in Jenkintown, most likely overnight, then the criminals tried to return the next week.
“It was shocking, to say the least,” said Samantha Bromley, the general manager of Montefiore Cemetery. “They had been taken off the hinges, the glass had been removed out of the window portion and set down.”
It’s likely the thefts are related, with the culprits scrapping the precious metals.
Find out more about these cemetery thefts at 6abc.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on DELCO Today in March 2025.
