Suspect Arrested for Theft of Gold-Plated Rose from NYC 9/11 Memorial

Deikel Alcantara, 21, was turned in by his father after stealing a $3,000 rose crafted from Ground Zero steel at a Manhattan church.

The stolen gold-plated rose was the centerpiece of a 9/11 memorial at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi in Midtown Manhattan.
The memorial honors victims of 9/11, particularly Rev. Mychal Judge, a former pastor and FDNY chaplain who died at Ground Zero.
Deikel Alcantara, the 21-year-old suspect, was identified through surveillance footage and later turned in to the police by his father.
The rose, valued at $3,000, has not yet been recovered, and police are investigating its whereabouts.
Rev. Brian Jordan, the church’s current pastor, described the theft as an 'act of desecration' but advocated for psychiatric care rather than jail time for the suspect.