By Tim Binnall
Authorities are on the hunt for an Ohio man believed to be behind the theft of a beloved statue of the famed Jersey Devil that was stolen from outside of a restaurant over the weekend. The odd case reportedly began Friday night when a sticky-fingered miscreant made off with the sizeable wooden piece that had stood outside of Lucille's Luncheonette in the community of Stafford, New Jersey for the last six years. The statue had become something of a popular attraction in the town as visitors frequently posed with pictures of the mysterious cryptid and the restaurant even sells shirts which declare ""I ate with the Jersey Devil." However, on Saturday morning, the owners of the restaurant were stunned to discover that the piece had vanished.
Explaining that the theft initially went unnoticed because they enter the eatery through the backdoor, co-owner Karen Bates-Flynn recalled how "one of our customers came in and said, 'You know, a piece of The Jersey Devil is out in your parking lot, and it's missing.'" Heading out to the parking lot to investigate the situation, they were understandably chagrined to find that, indeed, all that remained of the statue was one lone wing that had fallen off during the heist. A subsequent check of security footage from that evening showed an SUV towing a flat bed pull up to the restaurant and then take off with the pilfered piece.
After sharing the unfortunate news on social media over the weekend, the restaurant received an outpouring of support from members of the community, who were equally aghast that the statue had been stolen. The artist who created the wooden sculpture also contacted the co-owners to say that he had already begun working on a replacement piece for them. Meanwhile, it may not take long for the troublemaker who took the statue to face justice as, on Tuesday morning, Stafford police issued an arrest warrant for Thomas L. Bintz of Chandlersville, Ohio. Although they have yet to locate the now-wanted man, he faces charges of fourth-degree criminal mischief and third-degree theft for what authorities say was his role in the heist.