Bronze statue of Tuskegee airman found after theft from Detroit city park

DETROIT — A 600-pound bronze statue of a Tuskegee airman has been found after it was stolen from a city park, Detroit police said Friday.

The statue of Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson was reported missing Wednesday evening from Rouge Park on Detroit’s far west side, police said.

It appeared to have been sawed off at the ankles. Investigators believe the statue was taken sometime Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning.

Mayor Mike Duggan told reporters Friday that officers canvassed the neighborhood and determined the time when the statue was stolen. Surveillance cameras on nearby businesses showed a large rental truck leaving the area.

Officers then spoke to operators of the rental truck company and learned the truck has GPS, Duggan said.

“(Officers) found out the person who rented it was suspected of other robberies,” he said. “They ran him down in real time, caught him. He turned over the statue, confessed and we made two arrests.”

Details of the arrests were not immediately released Friday.

Jefferson was a member of the famed Red Tails during World War II. The unit escorted bombers over Europe. Jefferson was shot down and held as a prisoner of war. He returned home to Detroit following his release.

Jefferson later taught in schools and served as a vice principal. He also helped form the Tuskegee Airmen chapter in Detroit.

The airmen were the nation’s first all-Black air fighter squadron. They trained and fought separately from white fighter units due to segregation in the U.S. military. Their unit was based in Tuskegee, Alabama, but Michigan served as an advanced training ground during the war.

Jefferson’s statue was unveiled in June. The ceremony was attended by Duggan, Jefferson’s family and his former students. A plaza for the statue also was built.

Jefferson flew model airplanes in the area of the park where the statue was placed. That field already had been named for him. He was honored in 2021 by the city on his 100th birthday. Jefferson died in 2022.

“Lt. Col. Jefferson was a hero in every sense of the word and so richly deserves this honor,” Duggan said during the statue’s unveiling. “He distinguished himself as a Tuskegee Airman and prisoner of war in World War II, and again at home as a celebrated educator. The people of Detroit are deeply grateful to him for his service and this plaza and statue is a reflection of our collective appreciation.”