NEW YORK—New York City police are searching for a man accused of stealing a gold-plated rose from a Manhattan church memorial honoring the victims of 9/11.
The metal flower had served as the centerpiece of a memorial at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi, whose long-time pastor, Father Mychal Judge, was crushed by falling rubble while praying for victims and rescuers on the morning of the attack.
On Wednesday afternoon, a man entered the historic Midtown church and removed the rose from the base of the memorial, according to a police spokesperson. Surveillance photographs show the suspect holding the tall and narrow piece of artwork on a sidewalk outside the church. He remained at large Thursday and was wanted for grand larceny, police said….