Thieves cut $50,000 bronze Jesus statue from Santa Ana church, police say

Santa Ana police are looking for two men accused of stealing a bronze statue of Jesus valued at about $50,000 from Christ Our Savior Catholic Church on West Alton Avenue.

The theft happened around 2 a.m. on Aug. 30, according to KTLA. No arrests have been announced.

What police say

Surveillance video shows the two men, both in dark clothing, coming onto church property with a bag and working in the dark. One of them then used an electric cutting tool to separate the statue from its base, KTLA reported.

Police say the pair dragged the statue across the property toward nearby Segerstrom High School, where investigators believe a vehicle was waiting. The suspects allegedly loaded the statue into the vehicle and drove off.

Police photos show pieces of the statue's feet still attached to the base.

Not the first time

Police say the church had been targeted before. In April, the local site New Santa Ana reported that Santa Ana police were searching for two suspects who damaged wooden fence panels to get onto the church grounds in the early morning hours, then used a cutting tool to remove portions of a bronze statue.

The victim in that case reported losses totaling thousands of dollars, according to New Santa Ana. Police have not said whether the same people are involved in both cases.

How to help

Anyone with information is asked to contact Santa Ana Police Detective R. Wilson at 714-245-8551 or RashadWilson@santa-ana.org.

What’s next

No arrests have been announced. Santa Ana police are asking anyone with information to contact Detective R. Wilson at 714-245-8551 or RashadWilson@santa-ana.org.