Point Pleasant Man Charged In Pilfering Of Prized Ronald McDonald Statue In Hunterdon County

POINT PLEASANT - A Point Pleasant man with an apparent fondness for Ronald McDonald has been charged with receiving stolen property - a fiberglass, 250-pound, life-sized statute of the McDonald's icon, according to the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office.

Thomas Roman, 56, has a pre-indictment court date in Hunterdon County Superior Court on June 19, authorities said.

Ronald was sitting on his bench outside the Koury family McDonald's restaurant in Clinton minding his own business when he disappeared on April 27 as the restaurant was undergoing renovations, according to the Hunterdon Review.

The irreplaceable statute - they are no longer made - was found on May 5. The Prosecutor's Office did not detail where Ronald was found or the circumstances of his disappearance or how Roman ended up receiving him.

“I would like to commend the detectives from the Clinton Township Police Department and the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office for recovering the stolen property and bringing to justice those responsible for this crime," Kearns said. "I would also like to thank Crime Stoppers of Hunterdon for their contribution to the investigation.”

Ronald is such a village icon that customers often stopped to have their pictures taken with him. Crime Stoppers of Huntderdon County offered a cash reward of $500 for information that lead to the arrest or indictment of whoever took him.

Image: Courtesy of Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office