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The Yogi Berra Museum at Montclair State University was the victim of a professional burglary that took place early Wednesday morning, police say, and some priceless items were taken.
The Essex County Sheriff’s Office has announced a $5,000 reward for any information regarding the break-in, An inventory of missing items in the heist has not yet been released.
Yellow crime scene tape surrounded the monumental Yogi Berra statue and the rest of the museum today. Police officers from Montclair State were on the scene.
The museum, which opened in 1998, contains many of the legendary Yankee catcher’s valuable baseball memorabilia, including World Series rings, jerseys, photos, bats and mitts.
School of Communication and Media Professor Marc Rosenweig, who frequently convenes panels at the museum, was shocked by the break-in and worried about the plundering of history.
Among the most valuable museums in the museum collection, Rosenweig said, are 10 of Yogi’s World Series rings and the jersey he wore when he caught Don Larsen’s perfect game. That jersey alone is estimated to be worth $400,000.
Police are continuing their investigation.
See the video (also produced by Biondi) of the museum’s collection before the crime:
Mike Biondi studies broadcasting and journalism and is a senior at Montclair State. He had help from Matt Abbott, another Montclair State senior.
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This is so sad for Yogi and all his many fans.
Today is the 58th anniversary of Don Larsen throwing a perfect game in the World Series, and Berra was the Yankees catcher. Yogi jumping into Larsen’s arms is one of the more iconic Yankees images in history.
Hopefully when they try to put this memorabilia on the market, the collectors will blow the whistle on them.
To the perps ( aka scumbags ) : Do you really believe that this stolen property is going to be easy to fence ? Way to go, morons.
And to any and all collectors and collector wannabes : May there be no mercy if you get caught with any of these items.
What a bunch of dopes. They would have been better off robbing the nearby diner and stealing all the meat out of the freezer. No way any of this stuff can ever be sold on the memorabilia market. I suspect perhaps these jerks will realize that soon enough and just drop it somewhere. Wondering if it was a professional job or just some drunk college kids.
I guess it says professional job. Missed that on first read.
Couldn’t “steal” on Yogi when he played.
This saddens me. I also question their “professionalism.” Where do they think they’re going to fence the goods if every collectibles store, pawn shop, etc. is on the lookout for the stolen items? Of course, it would be helpful if they knew which items were stolen.
Memorabilia isn’t just about money, maybe the perps wanted for their private collection.
Some super fan is probably already handing over cash for some of this stuff. Just like stolen art there is always a buyer.
Some super jerk.
OH! My first thought was for Yogi. He lost his Carmen, his home, and now this. I hope they find the creeps soon and all of Yogi’s treasures are returned.
Yes, this is a terrible episode for Yogi and his family, as was the loss of Carmen. He did not however, loose his home.
silverleaf, it was up for sale and he’s no longer there. Any way you slice it, he lost his home.
No slicing, just very atypical use of the word “lost” in this context.
Are they going to take it to Pawn Stars or what? I guess if there’s a silver lining it’s these guys were pros and not drunk college kids so the memorabilia will probably stay in good condition until they get caught.