Jericho police hunt thief who stole bronze rooster

JERICHO, N.Y. (WABC) -- Police on Long Island are searching for a thief who wasn't exactly inconspicuous.

That's because he walked out of a banquet hall with a giant 300 pound statue, of a rooster.

And no one noticed until the statue was gone.

They've been serving up old time Americana at the Milleridge Inn since before America was even a country, and as long as anyone here can remember, they did so under the watchful eye of an old friend.

Now, he's gone.

Bartender Mike Farrell came in to work to find the rooster was missing. The 3-foot tall, 300 pound bronze statue has been the place's unofficial mascot for generations.

He was there 50 years ago Tuesday, when Owen Smith's family bought the restaurant.

But over the weekend, he flew the coop.

"Whether it be a prank or whether somebody's doing it for scrap metal, I'm disappointed. You get disappointed in your fellow man sometimes," said Smith.

There's no security camera covering part of the parking lot. Management thinks somebody probably just pulled right up, yanked the rooster from its perch on the porch, stuffed it in their car, and drove off with a huge piece of history.

"People are just awful, you know it's such a beautiful landmark here and it's a shame that they did that," said customer Betsy Blank.

The owners have filed a police report. They fear the rooster has already been melted down for scrap.

But if not, they're offering a reward for information that could lead to their rooster: $500, or a free dinner for ten.

Anything it takes, they say, to get their beloved bird back.

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