New York, NY - (Rioters): Disproving the truism that there's no such thing as a free lunch-eating statue, thieves have stolen one of eleven life-size figures by Manhattan sculptor Sergio Furnari based on an iconic 1932 photograph by Charles C Ebbets of 11 ironworkers having lunch on a skyscraper during the construction of the Rockefeller Center.
The sculpture had been welded to the beam of a display truck which the artist was using to promote his work but theives hacked off the 100lb figure and made off with it last weekend.
Mr Furnari is heartbroken: "I'm gutted", he said. "Just imagine what it would feel like if the same thing happened on Mount Rushmore."
NYPD has put out an alert for the $10,000 artwork which they describe as easily recognisable because it is 'the one on the extreme right end of the group of eleven, eating pastrami, pickle and mayo on rye'....as opposed to tuna, sweetcorn and tomato on pumpernickel.
A reward is being offered for the figure's safe return which has been dubbed as the Houdini of the iconic group.
