Koi fish statues worth thousands of dollars stolen from outside store on Long Island
DIX HILLS, Long Island (WABC) -- The search is on for two large Koi fish statues worth thousands of dollars that was stolen from a nursery on Long Island.
Shawn Rosen, the owner of Koi Market in Dix Hills told Eyewitness News reporter Lucy Yang that he just wants the statues back.
They were featured outside the store's fence before someone took off with the pair of statues.
"Oh, it was terrible," Rosen said. "We just finished this waterfall a couple months ago and we built it around the koi."
The statues are 7.5 feet long and custom made from Indonesia.
One is a Showa fish. The other is a Kohaku. The fiberglass is light, but the statues were mounted with cement, making them about 300 pounds each.
Fish can't walk but sadly, the statues did. Police believe the theft happened on Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.
"Who would actually take something like this? It's not something you can put on your front lawn and assume it's going to be ok, and people aren't going to notice," Rosen said.
Rosen is one of the largest importers of Japanese koi and can ship his fish anywhere in the country. He is hoping someone will see his missing art and do the right thing.
"I miss seeing them every morning," he said. "Our goal was to make something epic. We wanted people to stop to look at."
There's one statue left. Plans are to order more but mount them in a way that is poacher proof.
The owner urges anyone who information on his stolen statues to call his number at 516-547-0164. Police have also posted their crime stoppers number 1-800-220-TIPS and have posted a cash reward.
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