The Aporia · Thieves steal $50K bronze Jesus statue from California church as they leave behind key feature

Thieves steal $50K bronze Jesus statue from California church as they leave behind key feature

Read the original at New York Post ↗

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Choi, J. (2026, September 17). Thieves steal $50K bronze Jesus statue from California church as they leave behind key feature. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/09/16/us-news/thieves-steal-50k-bronze-jesus-statue-from-california-church/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Quick Summary

Two thieves stole a $50,000 bronze Jesus statue from Christ Our Savior Catholic Church in Santa Ana, California around 2 a.m. on August 30. The suspects used an electric cutting tool to remove the statue and left behind only its feet at the crime scene before fleeing with their loot. This theft is part of a series of recent metal heists targeting religious sites and public spaces in Orange County, highlighting a broader issue of such crimes in the region.

Written by AI on 2026-09-17, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On August 30, two thieves stole a $50,000 bronze Jesus statue from Christ Our Savior Catholic Church in Santa Ana, California. The suspects arrived around 2 a.m., cut off the statue at its ankles with an electric tool, and dragged it across church property toward nearby Segerstrom High School where they likely had a getaway vehicle. Police believe the men left behind only the feet of the statue. This theft follows another incident in April when parts of a different bronze statue were stolen after damaging the church's wooden fence panels. These events are part of a wider trend of bronze statue thefts occurring in Orange County. Concerns exist that the thieves might melt down the religious artwork for its raw metal value.

Written for “Stolen Bronze Jesus Statue” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 27% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.

Cops race to find stolen $50K bronze Jesus statue before it’s lost forever Same event

The Independent

Hedges 3 of 15 claims Outlet record 59/100

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

27%

4 of 15 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

not political

takes no side on a contested political question

Publisher signals

66/100

New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Crime & Law

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Who wrote this

Justin Choi

64 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction

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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 64 articles by Justin Choi →

Claims (15 extracted, 4 hedged)

Police are on the hunt for two blasphemous thieves accused of stealing a $50,000 bronze Jesus statue from an Orange County church. asserted

Police → accuse → church

The two men allegedly showed up with a bag and an electric cutting tool before chopping down the statue at Christ Our Savior Catholic Church on 2000 W. Alton Ave. in Santa Ana around 2 a.m. Aug. 30, police said. uncertain

police → show → Ana

“Both suspects began cutting the $50,000 bronze statue of Jesus.” asserted

suspects → begin → Jesus

The thieves then dragged the statue across the church property toward Segerstrom High School, where police believe they had a getaway vehicle waiting. asserted

vehicle → drag → School

“The suspects loaded the statue into the vehicle and drove away,” police said. asserted

police → load → vehicle

Photos released by police show the statue’s feet were left behind at the scene. asserted

feet → release → scene

The theft is the latest alleged bronze-statue heist to hit the church. asserted

theft → allege → church

Back in April, two other suspects allegedly stole portions of another bronze statue from the property after damaging the church’s wooden fence panels. uncertain

suspects → steal → panels

The thieves also used a cutting tool in that incident, causing thousands of dollars in damage, according to police. uncertain

thieves → use → police

The cases come amid a broader rash of alleged bronze thefts in Orange County. asserted

cases → come → County

A Long Beach resident was arrested in February after allegedly stealing bronze plaques from multiple locations across the county. uncertain

resident → arrest → county

He was charged with 10 counts of grand theft and 10 counts of felony vandalism. asserted

He → charge → vandalism

Christ Our Savior Catholic Church was established in 2005, with its first parish Masses celebrated later that year. asserted

Masses → establish → 2005

The church holds five Sunday Masses. asserted

church → hold → Masses

Anyone with information about the Jesus statue theft is asked to contact Detective R. Wilson at 714-245-8551 or RashadWilson@santa-ana.org. asserted

Anyone → ask → 8551

Thieves steal $50K bronze Jesus statue from California church as they leave behind key feature

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Claims (15 extracted, 4 hedged)