WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — It’s been days since the Jackie Robinson statue located in Wichita, Kansas, was cut just above the feet and stolen. Authorities are now offering thousands of dollars in rewards for information or the return of the statue.
The incident happened around midnight Wednesday in Wichita’s McAdams Park. The life-size statue of Jackie Robinson was brought to the park in 2021 by the League 42 Foundation, a nonprofit that provides urban children the opportunity to play youth baseball at a low cost.
Damages to the statue are estimated to be around $75,000, according to a Facebook post from the City of Wichita.
Wichita Police released surveillance video of the theft. A truck is seen driving around the area before two people approach the statue. They seem to remove the statue from its base and push it to the ground.
One person is then seen running off shortly before the truck returns. After the truck appears to back up over the curb and toward where the statue lays, a person seems to exit the vehicle and help the other load the statue into the bed of the truck.
Once the statue is loaded, the two people get into the truck, which then drives off. You can watch a sped-up version of the video released by Wichita Police below.
“If you have any information on this senseless and heartless crime, we ask that you submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers,” said the WPD on Facebook. “If you know who owns or may be driving this vehicle, please contact the Wichita Police immediately.”
A $2,500 reward is being offered for tips that lead to the arrest of the suspects in the case, as well as a $5,000 reward for the person who brings the statue back.
Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan previously said the case is a “priority” and has also mobilized the Wichita Metro Crime Commission, which he said jumped in immediately after he asked for their help. The latter is also asking that anyone interested in donating to the reward fund for the return of the stolen Robinson statue send an email to julie@wichitacrimecommission.org.
Leaders at the Negro Leagues museum in Kansas City, Missouri, say getting the statue back is a must.
“I hope that it can be a teaching moment,” said Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues museum. “It serves as a monument to Jackie’s enduring spirit. But it also reminds us that we still have a lot of work to do.”
Kendrick says he hopes this is just a case of thieves looking to make money on scrap metal.
Wichita City Councilmember Brandon Johnson feels the same.
“We’ve worked really hard to make McAdams a destination park, and when you see all the investments we’ve made on 17th Street and the swimming pool, soon to be the tennis courts, the other baseball field, it’s just hard,” said Johnson of the theft of the iconic statue. “Really takes the breath out of people’s lungs for that. And it’s disgusting to me, you know, this has been a point of pride for me to see the investments in the park. And now that statue is gone, and it’s a big deal.”
Kendrick says his heart is with the League 42 in Wichita, a league named for the number 42 jersey worn by Jackie Robinson.
“And so I’m hoping, you know, for those of us that do believe that light does indeed come from darkness,” said Kendrick. “And when I caught wind of what took place there in Wichita, I see it as one of those dark days for the fine folks in Wichita who they provided the resources to help build this monument to Jackie. And to see it destroyed the way it has been, I know that it has to be extremely difficult for all of those folks. My heart goes out to my friend Bob Lutz, who I know has dedicated himself to League 42.”