SEATTLE — A rare replica of the original Liberty Bell was found after it had been stolen from a Seattle cemetery.
The replica, estimated to be worth more than $100,000, was reported stolen from Evergreen Washelli Funeral Home & Cemetery Saturday morning.
Investigators said the bell is one of 20 replicas around the world.
Scott Sheehan, the cemetery’s general manager, said the item, which represents the thousands of veterans it serves, was stolen from its secured storage area.
The bell and its setup weigh more than 4,000 pounds, Sheehan added.
“It’s amazing that it could be taken. We could not have ever imagined that,” he said. “And that somebody would have the audacity to do that. It was not an easy item to steal for sure.”
“It’s a very big part of who we are and what we do and the symbolism to the community,” he said.
The bell was found on 83rd Street, a few miles away from the cemetery after an officer noticed a detached flatbed trailer with an “enormous” item covered with a rain tarp.
KIRO 7 News spoke with Tom Campbell, the owner of a website that covers all of the replicas of the Liberty Bell across the nation. Campbell said he had received a tip from a person in Seattle who did not want to be identified about the stolen bell.
He said, “I got a message from a Seattle resident, ‘Hey do you know of any missing Liberty Bells?”
Campbell shared photos with KIRO 7 News that the Seattle neighbor had sent him, capturing a flatbed trailer with the stolen bell hidden under a bunch of “junk.”
The neighbor had called the police before they spoke with Campbell.
“I give a lot of credit to the resident,” he said.
Campbell believes the bell could’ve been sold at a scrapyard for more than $5,000.
“Thieves are used to stealing pipe and wire and they saw this as a motherlode and went to the same contacts that are used to buying a $100 worth of pipe,” he said.
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