New Bedford police investigate report of memorial damaged, cement boat taken at Pine Grove Cemetery
Officers responded Oct. 28, and the caller said the memorial was last known undamaged the day before. Police are asking anyone with information to call 508-991-6300.
NEW BEDFORD New Bedford police are investigating a report that a memorial at Pine Grove Cemetery was damaged and several decorative items taken, including solar lights, potted plants and a large cement boat holding flowers, the department said.
Holly Huntoon, the department's public information officer, said Thursday that officers went to the cemetery on Wednesday, Oct. 28, and met with the caller, who reported damage to the memorial and the theft of the items, river pebbles among them. The caller told officers the memorial was last known to be undamaged the day before, Tuesday, Oct. 27.
The incident remains under investigation, Huntoon said. Police are asking anyone with information to call the department at 508-991-6300. New Bedford Guide reported that the department also takes anonymous tips at 508-99-CRIME (508-992-7463).
What the memorial's designer reported
New Bedford Guide reported Wednesday, Nov. 4, that the designer who created and maintains the memorial found the damage while returning to clean it. According to the Guide, the headstone was damaged and a rock was left at the site.
The Guide reported the missing items included an 85-pound custom cement boat statue filled with soil and plants, about 25 pounds of black painted river rocks and an arrangement of red roses that had been mounted to the headstone. Gold decorative figures attached with industrial adhesive were ripped free, the Guide reported, leaving one rose, a heart message and two gold pieces behind.
A $500 reward is being offered for information leading to the return of the items or the identification of whoever is responsible, the Guide reported. The designer said the damage was not the work of the cemetery's maintenance crew, according to the Guide.
Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.
Notes
The police response, the items reported taken, the timing and the tip number come from the New Bedford Police Department's statement, which we read in full on Nov. 5. The designer's account, the statue's weight and the reward come only from New Bedford Guide and are credited to it. We checked each date and weekday against a calendar. We left out the designer's belief about how many people were involved, which the Guide said was not confirmed. Not heard: the designer, the cemetery's managers.
Corrections
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Sources (2)
- New Bedford Police Department, statement from Public Information Officer Holly HuntoonThe Oct. 28 response, the caller's report, the items listed, the day the memorial was last known undamaged, the open investigation and the tip number. Emailed to South Coast 360 on Nov. 5, 2026, at 12:22 p.m. Read Nov. 5, 2026.
- New Bedford Guide, report on the Pine Grove Cemetery memorialThe designer's account, the statue's weight, the river rocks, roses and gold figures, the $500 reward and the anonymous tip line. Posted Nov. 4, 2026. Read Nov. 5, 2026.