A retired New Jersey battalion chief is accused of stealing artifacts possibly worth several thousand dollars from a fire museum and selling them online.
Paul Avery, 64, was arrested late last week and charged with theft in connection with the stolen items from the John T. Brennan Fire Museum, The Jersey Journal reports. He retired from the Bayonne Fire Department after 36 years with the department and was heavily involved with the museum.
Although some items are on display in the museum, most of the collection resides in storage, which is where Avery allegedly had been taking them. Four stolen items, including three helmets and a speaking trumpet, have been recovered, and the local chapter of Exempt Firemen's Association, which owns the museum artifacts, is trying to take a full inventory of what was taken.
“I can’t speak to what they have on the investigative side, but if he were to be guilty it would be really hard for me to understand why (he would steal museum items)," Bayonne fire Capt. Donny Haiber Jr., who oversees the museum's daily operation, told the Journal.
Museum officials believe Avery had allegedly been stealing items since 2016, but it's not known how many items were taken. Bayonne police told the Journal that the number of stolen artifacts "is said to be significant," and two sources indicated that the value of the items is worth several thousand dollars.
Since retiring, Avery has been paid an annual pension of $129,813. It's not know how or if Avery's pension would be affected if he's convicted of the theft charges.
