Tip leads police to carnival ride stolen from Moraine business as search for thief continues – WHIO TV 7 and WHIO Radio

MORANE – UPDATE at 10:30 p.m.: Moraine police, acting on a tip, recovered the carnival ride that had been stolen from a Moraine business Sunday night.

Police are still looking for a suspect — and are looking into two other theft reports from Monday that involved the same truck that took off with the $60,000 carnival ride, Sgt. Andrew Parish told News Center 7’s Molly Koweek on Tuesday night.

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Police found the carnival ride in a parking lot at Xenia and Bowen, Sgt. Parish said. She and a $4,000 Toro Zero Turn mower were stolen from the Mandalay Banquet and Event Center in Moraine. The mower belongs to the banquet center.

“Anything that’s stolen from our property, we feel responsible, even if it’s not ours,” Matt McConnell, the owner of the banquet center, told Koweek. “We’re glad the ride was found and we hope they can find the people who made it.”

Other theft reports from Monday include two box trucks missing from Watson’s on Dryden Road and the vandalism of several vehicles in Orbit.

Sgt. Parish said the two incidents may be connected and police have identified persons of interest in both incidents, but they are still working to identify the person who stole both the mower and the carnival.

“I’ve seen a lot over 20-plus years,” he said. “People will steal anything.”

INITIAL REPORT: Surveillance footage shows the moment a carnival was stolen from a banquet hall in Moraine.

Video provided by the Mandalay Banquet Center shows a truck pulling away Sunday night.

A man gets out of his truck, hooks up a carnival ride in the parking lot, and goes upstairs.

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The same truck showed up again on Monday morning. The suspect gets out of the truck and looks at the golf carts on the property.

According to the authorities, the suspect is said to have also taken a zero-turn mower.

According to a police report, a man who worked at the banquet center told officers that shortly before 8 p.m. Sunday, a white and tan Chevrolet Silverado drove into the lot and stole a carnival that was parked west of the building. .

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The employee told police the carnival ride, described as a “Rocket Boat Carnival Ride,” was attached to a trailer expected to be picked up by rental company Bluegrass Rides and Inflatables.

Police contacted a man who said he worked for Bluegrass Rides and Inflatables, who estimated the value of the ride to be about $60,000.

Moraine police said they later found the carnival ride in Dayton. The mower was not found.

Police have not identified a suspect or taken him into custody.

We’ll update this story as we learn more.

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