When you think of theft, you probably picture jewelry or cars, but the 10 weirdest things ever stolen go far beyond the ordinary. From massive manhole covers to a glacier’s ice, these audacious heists prove that anything can become a target.
10 Weirdest Things You Won’t Believe Were Stolen
10 Manhole Covers
Back in 2008, a wave of thefts hit Long Beach, California, when roughly fifty cast‑iron manhole covers—each tipping the scales at about 150 pounds—vanished from streets and alleys over just eight months. The city scrambled to replace them, paying roughly $500 per cover, while the thefts accelerated, with more disappearing each week.
Although it sounds like a niche crime, the pilfering of manhole covers has surged worldwide, especially in developing nations such as China, where soaring metal prices turn these heavy lids into lucrative scrap. Cities have responded with anti‑theft measures like bolting the covers, installing special locks, or even swapping them for plastic alternatives.
9 Train Engine
In 2022, an audacious crew dismantled an entire diesel locomotive piece by piece from a railway yard in India’s Begusarai district. The thieves excavated a tunnel to gain access, and the crime only surfaced when a nearby police station filed a report.
The investigation led authorities to a scrap‑godown in Muzaffarpur, where they uncovered thirteen sacks brimming with stolen engine parts, vintage wheels, and hefty iron components. Three suspects were apprehended, though the search for the godown’s owner continued.
8 George Washington’s Wallet
Early in 1992, the Old Barracks Museum in New Jersey reported that George Washington’s historic wallet had been lifted. The prized artifact vanished for nearly three weeks, only to reappear missing two colonial‑era bills worth $1.66.
The wallet was returned on Washington’s birthday by a lawyer named Eric Davis, who acted on behalf of an anonymous client. A $500 reward was paid to the returner, and Davis explained that the theft was simple: the perpetrator merely lifted the protective glass encasing the wallet.
7 A Bridge
Imagine stealing an entire bridge. In April 2022, a gang of men—including government workers from a local irrigation department—spent three days dismantling a 60‑foot, 550‑ton iron bridge in India. Dressed in official uniforms, they wielded gas‑cutting torches and excavators to slice the structure into transportable pieces, which they then delivered to a scrap dealer’s warehouse.
Villagers initially assumed the demolition was a public works project, unaware that a crime was unfolding. The theft remained hidden until a resident alerted authorities, leading to the arrest of eight individuals, including the government employees and a scrapyard owner.
6 A Glacier
In 2012, a Chilean man was nabbed after attempting to smuggle roughly five tons of ice from the Jorge Montt glacier in Patagonia. Police intercepted the truck, estimating the stolen ice’s value at about $6,100. The frosty cargo was destined for Santiago’s upscale bars, where premium polar‑ice cubes command hefty prices.
The incident highlighted a growing market for glacial ice, especially as the Jorge Montt glacier retreats more than half a mile each year. The theft sparked renewed attention on the illicit trade of natural ice resources.
5 Napoleon’s Penis
After Napoleon Bonaparte’s death in 1821, rumors swirled about the fate of his anatomical curiosities, especially his penis. Some accounts claim that either his doctor or priest removed the organ during the autopsy, after which Napoleon’s chaplain allegedly smuggled it from St. Helena to his family’s estate in Corsica.
The preserved organ stayed under family guard until 1916, when it was sold to a London bookseller. It later resurfaced in 1927 at New York’s Museum of French Art, where it drew a mixture of fascination and amusement from onlookers, many of whom were unsettled by its leather‑like appearance.
4 A Human Toe
June 2017 saw a bizarre caper in Dawson City, Yukon, when a severed toe vanished from the Downtown Hotel’s famed Sourtoe Cocktail collection. The cocktail tradition dates back to the 1920s, when a rum runner preserved his amputated big toe in alcohol; the specimen later became a quirky garnish for daring patrons.
The stolen toe, a key ingredient for the cocktail, was mailed back to authorities a few days later, accompanied by an apologetic note. Despite the return, the thief’s identity remained a mystery.
Fortunately, the hotel’s tradition survived, and the missing toe was never permanently lost to the criminal underworld.
3 Einstein’s Brain
When Albert Einstein died on April 18, 1955, pathologist Thomas Harvey performed the autopsy and, controversially, removed the famed physicist’s brain. Harvey secured permission from Einstein’s son to study the organ, but first he sliced the brain into 240 pieces, hoping to uncover the secrets behind the genius.
Harvey’s actions sparked ethical outrage, leading to his dismissal from Princeton Hospital. The brain fragments stayed in his possession until 1978, when they were finally revealed to the scientific community and the public.
2 A Beach
In 2008, a daring gang in Jamaica siphoned off hundreds of tons of pristine white sand—essentially stealing an entire beach—from a planned resort on the island’s north coast. The heist cost the developer more than a million dollars and underscored a growing global sand shortage, as sand is a critical component for construction, glass‑making, and other industries.
The operation involved roughly 500 truckloads of sand, baffling investigators and igniting political controversy. Some speculated that rival hotel owners orchestrated the theft, given its sophisticated execution.
The Jamaican government halted the resort’s development and commissioned an environmental study to gauge the ecological impact of the missing sand. Despite extensive searches, the stolen sand was never recovered, and no arrests followed.
1 A Shark
One of the most audacious marine capers unfolded in July 2018, when three suspects lifted a two‑foot gray horn shark—named Miss Helen—from the San Antonio Aquarium in Texas. Surveillance captured the thieves reaching into the tank, dumping bleach into the filtration system, and whisking the shark away in a stroller.
The plan unraveled when a manager spotted the suspects exiting the building and pursued them to a nearby residence housing a makeshift aquarium. Police recovered the shark, and one suspect confessed while a neighbor admitted to assisting.
Thanks to swift action, Miss Helen was safely returned to the aquarium the following day, concluding a bizarre episode of underwater theft.