Overview
- A roughly 9-foot South Vietnamese soldier statue and several flags were taken from the Vietnamese Heritage Garden in Kelley Park; police say the theft occurred on June 21 and was carried out in the early morning hours.
- San Jose police released an edited, about 17-minute surveillance video showing a dump truck and two suspects, with one person in a light-colored T-shirt directing the vehicle and tying the statue with rope.
- Officers recovered the statue later the same day near the Coyote Creek Trail and Interstate 280 and located the commercial truck believed to have been used in the theft after it had been reported stolen days earlier from Monterey Road.
- The two people seen in the video remain unidentified and outstanding; investigators ask anyone with information to contact Detective Cobb, use the P3TIPS app, or call Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers for anonymous tips and a possible reward.
- The statue is part of the 2024 'Thank You America' monument honoring San Jose’s Vietnamese community and U.S.–South Vietnam ties, and the theft has raised community concern while police continue to seek private surveillance and witness accounts to build the case.