Parking enforcement spots Liberty Bell replica stolen from local cemetery
Mar 3, 2025, 3:09 PM | Updated: 3:17 pm
Parking Enforcement Officer Michael Eaton was working on Northwest 83rd Street when he noticed a "detached flatbed trailer with an 'enormous' item covered with a rain tarp." Inside was a stolen Liberty Bell replica. (Photo courtesy of SPD)
(Photo courtesy of SPD)
An iconic replica of the Liberty Bell was reported stolen from Seattle’s Evergreen Washelli Cemetery Saturday. Fortunately, it was found on Monday.
According to the Seattle Police Department, via a blotter post, Parking Enforcement Officer Michael Eaton was working on Northwest 83rd Street around 8 a.m. when he noticed a “detached flatbed trailer with an ‘enormous’ item covered with a rain tarp.”
SPD said as he looked closer, he saw a large bell. Officers then worked with the cemetery’s staff to recover the bell, worth more than $100,000.
“A staff member explained it is heavy, made of copper and there are only 20 of these bells in the world,” the department stated.
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More on the search for the replica Liberty Bell
As first reported by KING 5, Seattle police said officers left the cemetery for a short time Saturday morning only to discover the bell missing and the alarm tripped.
Police got a tip from someone who said they had seen the bell loaded on a trailer under a blue tarp. A man who runs a website about Liberty Bells across the country also got a tip.
Tom Campbell told KING 5, “I got a comment on the website yesterday morning that said, ‘Hey, do you know of any missing Liberty Bells? I saw one on a trailer in my neighborhood.’”
Campbell, who runs a website called “Tom Loves the Liberty Bell” dedicated to tracking Liberty Bell replicas across the country, expressed his surprise at the theft.
The person who reported the bell stolen called Seattle police, but by the time they could respond, the trailer had disappeared.
Campbell has a theory about why the bell was stolen.
“My strong suspicion is that it was scrapped,” he said. “I think the current scrap weight for a ton of bronze is probably about $3,000, so it’s kind of a motherlode.”
MyNorthwest reached out to the cemetery’s general manager, Scott Sheehan, for comment.
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Contributing: Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest
