You Won’t Believe The Strangest Things Ever Stolen
Theft happens more often than it should, but it's a reality of the world we live in. Some common things that get stolen are purses, bicycles, and money — but that doesn't mean thieves don't steal unusual things too. Can you imagine walking back to your cabin and realizing it's gone? Yes, the whole thing. There have been some strange things people have stolen over the years, and a cabin isn't even the weirdest. As you uncover some of the most bizarre items ever stolen, you'll probably laugh, but you'll mostly question humanity.
Marla Maples Loses Her Boots
Back in the early '90s, Donald Trump's girlfriend was Marla Maples. The actress married Trump in 1993, but the two ended up getting divorced in 1999. While they were still a couple in 1992, Maples was the victim of a rather unusual crime.
Maples came back to her bedroom one day to find out that 200 pairs of her shoes were missing! It turns out that her publicist, Chuck Jones, was the culprit. Jones had an obsession with women's footwear and apparently couldn't get enough of Maples' shoes. He even videotaped himself licking Maples' footwear. He was sentenced to one year in jail.
Taking From The Bull
This theft might be a little head scratching, but the amount of money the product was worth makes it a little more understandable. Who would have thought that a bull's reproductive fluids and embryos would be worth thousands of dollars?
Once a thief discovered the animals could be so lucrative, they stole $10,000 worth of the 'goods' from California Polytechnic University in 1989. The embryos had been found, but no one was able to locate the fluids. Perhaps the robber made some sort of profit from this.
Goodbye Godzilla
Since Godzilla made his debut in 1954, the monster has amassed fans all over the world. There are a ton of Godzilla fans. Apparently, people can't stay away from the mutated dinosaur.
In 1992, a Tokyo movie studio constructed a Godzilla statue that they placed in front of their building. Not long after, a group of people ended up stealing the 132-pound statue from the building. Thankfully, the statue turned up ten days later outside the city.
Watch Out For That Hole
The Teenage Mutant Turtles love them, they're in the middle of streets everywhere, and their insides are filled with water. If you guessed manhole, then you would be correct and in 1990, they were being stolen at an alarming rate.
All over Los Angeles, more than 300 manholes were stolen in 1990 alone. This is pretty amazing when you consider manholes can weigh up to around 300 pounds. The thieves were selling each manhole to scrap metal dealers for about $6 each.
Say Your Prayers
If you think reverends can't sin, think again. A Houston church voted Reverend Robert L. White out of his position and as a thank you, White stole a bunch of items from the church.
White, a Baptist preacher, ended up taking the pulpit, the organ, and even some of the curtains. He must have really loved that church and felt betrayed once they voted him out. White did, however, leave one of the pianos there but only because it was still being paid for.
Tiny Home Up For Grabs!
Imagine you're trying to be more economically efficient and you're repaid with robbery. Tiny homeowner Meghan Panu had her entire home stolen from her in St. Louis. The home was sitting peacefully in the neighborhood one weekend and ended up being towed off by a thief.
Thankfully, authorities found it not too long later in House Springs, Missouri. In an interview with a local news station, Panu said, "I think the take away from all of this is, don't steal, because you could be stealing someone's dream."
They Stole What??
In one of the more interesting cases you'll see on this list, there are some pretty ambitious thieves in the Czech Republic. In what should be considered for a sequel to Ocean's 8, thieves stole a bridge near Slavkov, Czech Republic. Yes, an actual bridge.
The robbers said someone hired them to demolish the bridge. Instead, they took it and dismantled it so that they could sell it for scrap metal. Too bad for those who needed that bridge to get to and from work.
What Are You Going To Do With THOSE?
Back in 2001, the World Championships of Athletics took place in Edmonton, Canada. As part of the event, the city made bison statues and painted them the colors of different flags represented in the championships.
For whatever reason, someone decided to snatch the fake bison private parts from 20 different statues. There is no telling what this person wanted to do with them, but he had 20 to spare.
He Must Have Needed Protection
Protecting yourself during intercourse can prevent unwanted pregnancies from happening. You also help prevent the transmission of unwanted diseases. You can never have too much protection, right? Just ask the Michigan man who ripped a condom machine clean off the wall.
This act of theft happened in 1994. Apparently, the man was so drunk that he didn't even notice that the cops followed him back to his home to take back what he had claimed as his. Not only was he charged with driving under the influence and theft, but he didn't get to keep the 48 condoms and 127 quarters.
Welcome To Your Vacation
It's not every day you and your significant other can enjoy each other's presence in a nice snowy environment. Getting away to the snow with your love bug can be all the fun in the world. That is, as long as you have somewhere to stay.
A couple from California arrived at their cabin in 2003 only to find it completely gone! In addition to the 10-foot-by-20-foot prefabricated structure, the thieves also took the shed, antique bed, and the generator.
It Must Have Been Her Size?
When there are riots, bad things can happen. Fights, fires, and looting are sure to go down in a frenzy. Back in 1992 during the Los Angeles riots, an art student joined in on the action and ended up at the Lingerie Museum at Fredrick's of Hollywood.
There was famous underwear there like Madonna's pointed bustier. The higher class items were already gone, so the art student settled for something a little less high profile. The student took Katey Sagal's push-up bra from Married...With Children.
Returning Home To a MESS
Going on vacation is fun. You try not and think about whatever is going wrong in your life, and you're away from somewhere you spend most of your time in a new, hopefully exciting, environment. Then you get to come back to your lovely home. Unless you're this woman...
Except in 2011, a homeowner from Edmonton didn't return to everything. She came back to a missing front lawn. All that was there was dirt. It turned out to be a mistake by the landscaping company who meant to do a job at a different house.
Make Sure You Keep Your Buttons Close
Some clothing items come with a spare button just in case you lose one. That extra button probably isn't used all the time, but it is nice to have. Well, in 2009, some woman needed tons of buttons and she secured them.
The woman stole $305 worth of buttons from a department store off of some clothes in Miami. They arrested her and found out that she was Felicidad Noriega — the wife of Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega! She spent one night in jail and was freed on $1,500 bond.
An Expensive Ingredient
Have you ever heard of bird's nest soup? The dish is popular in Chinese cuisine and uses "bird's nests" made from bird saliva, which is dried and hardened before using in the soup. Apparently, someone couldn't get enough of the delicacy because in 1992 robbers emptied a Hong Kong restaurant and took a significant portion of bird's nests.
They made it out of there with $250,000 worth of birds' nest. That's a lot of nests they had on them! Did they make soup or did they sell them?
For The Races
We've heard of trying to get your hands on a product that is exclusive to a certain region like Cuban Cigars, however, have you heard of anything like this? A smuggling ring based in a Miami pet store got busted for moving pigeon eggs.
They were moving them between America and Cuba. In some Latin cultures, pigeon racing is highly popular and many think that Cuban pigeons are the fastest. That's why they went through so much trouble for little eggs.
Anything Can Get Stolen
Of the Caribbean islands, Jamaica is one of the most popular destinations. You also have Barbados and St. Lucia, but Jamaica was previously voted as the best island. Maybe that's why thieves elected to steal from one Jamaican beach.
They didn't take anything you might expect, though. Believe it or not, they took sand from the Coral Spring beach. Authorities found that the sand was mysteriously reduced over a short period of time. The police think they took it to sell it to hotels who wanted their beaches to be nicer.
It's Important To Stay Fresh, Right?
During 2018, there was a crazy phenomenon going on. Kids were buying Tide pods and eating them, which is highly dangerous. No one knew why, so everyone just chalked it up to a dumb trend. Back in 2012, something similar could have been going on.
While laundry detergent is already something that is subject to theft, there was a wave of Tide disappearing in 2012. Interestingly enough, the detergent could pocket the thieves a healthy return if they chose to trade it.
King Of Inflatables
First, someone took the Godzilla structure, so up next was a giant inflatable gorilla. Businesses love to inflate giant things and use them to help with their direct marketing. For instance, don't you love seeing those wacky waving inflatable flailing tube men?
Well, in 2010, a car dealership reported that their 350-pound inflatable gorilla that they anchored on the roof had been taken. Due to the massive size of the item, many believed multiple people had a hand in this, but no one was caught.
Stealing Nature
Venus flytraps are dangerous for some insects. Too bad humans can get around their tricky ways. They are very rare in the wild, and in the U.S., they can be found mostly in swamps located in North Carolina.
If you're looking on the black market, you'll see they go for a high price. That is exactly why a Venus flytrap smuggling ring showed up in North Carolina. They stole them from protected lands and this prompted the state to enact a law that gave those who stole the flytraps at least two years in prison.
Not The Lamp Post
Can you imagine how many props movie production companies have on deck? With all the movies they hash out, the number is high and in 1986, MGM emptied out their vault of set items and props.
A crew member by the name of Bryan Goetzinger took the famous lamp post from Singin' in the Rain and put it in his front yard. Four years later, a thief stole the post from that man's yard and he never recovered it.
