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

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

“One suspect retrieved an electric cutting tool from the bag,” the Santa Ana Police Department said Wednesday.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Long Beach resident was arrested in February after allegedly stealing bronze plaques from multiple locations across the county. He was charged with 10 counts of grand theft and 10 counts of felony vandalism.

Christ Our Savior Catholic Church was established in 2005, with its first parish Masses celebrated later that year. The church holds five Sunday 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.