A giant lobster sculpture unearthed in Plymouth, Maasachusetts, last month was stolen sometime over the weekend — and the community is already working on creating a reward fund to help bring the perpetrators to justice. The public art piece, named “Sir-Loin,” was part of the Plymouth Lobster Crawl. Sponsored by the town’s chamber of commerce, the crawl featured 29 different lobster statues around town, including the stolen piece unveiled in Nelson Park. “We think it was taken about 2 a.m. by two men in their 50s in a green pickup truck,” Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kevin O’Reilly told Wicked Local Plymouth. “Apparently, they attempted to steal one across from Isaac’s (restaurant) and somebody yelled at them and they took off and they must have come down here.” All that’s left is the concrete base and some broken shards of plaster and tile, Wicked Local reported. The nature of the heist suggests that the piece may have been badly damaged during its extraction. Artist Diana Naples reportedly spent 100 hours creating the 150-pound structure, featuring a lobster made out of many small tiles.
“The monetary value is minimal compared to the community value of it,” O’Reilly told the website. “I have no idea what motivated these people. Who could get into the mind of somebody deranged enough to want to steal a piece of public art? She’s distraught and I don’t blame her.”
The thieves also attempted to steal another lobster statue but failed, according to CBS Boston.
Anyone with information about the missing lobster is asked to contact Plymouth Police at (508) 830-4218.
