Benjamin Franklin is commonly known as the Founding Father of the United States. Throughout this country, the name Benjamin Franklin is one that many people start learning about in grade school. With that in mind, it’s understandable that Benjamin Franklin is a major name throughout the United States but especially within Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, someone recently stole the thumb from a statue that is valued at nearly $5 million dollars located inside of the Franklin Institute.
The impact of Benjamin Franklin is currently seen throughout Philadelphia in many ways. One notable dedication that has been made to this man was done with the creation of the Franklin Institute, named in his honor. The Franklin Institute is a science museum that also contains the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial. This location has remained an important cultural and historical location for Philadelphia for many years.
Being such an important location, the Franklin Institute often hosts community events. A recent Ugly Sweater Party was held at the Franklin Institute in late December. It was during this party when one man decided to snap a selfie with one of the statues. ABC 6, a local Philadelphia-based news station, reported that Michael Rohana is the suspected thief involved in this incident.
It was reported that, after taking the selfie, Rohana snatched the thumb of a statue titled “The Cavalryman.” Unfortunately, staff members would not notice that the thumb of this statue was missing until January. After news of the missing statue broke, the FBI began working to trace the source of the statue thief until they were able to indicate that Rohana was behind the theft.
To summarize, the thumb of a statue that is valued at $4.5 million was recently stolen from the Franklin Institute. The Franklin Institute is an extremely important museum that is well-known both throughout Philadelphia as well as the rest of the world. An Ugly Sweater Party held at this institute in December was where the theft occurred. It would take some time until authorities were able to trace the theft back to a man named Michael Rohana.
