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Boardwalk redeveloper Madison Marquette says that replacement of the stolen copper panels from Convention Hall must wait until state law enforcement authorities complete their investigation of the theft.

In March of last year, the public learned that six tons of antique copper panels dating back to 1929 had gone missing. The rectangular panels had adorned the sides of Convention Hall [pictured above] since the building’s construction.

At the time of the theft, the 27 panels were stored in an area near Convention Hall after being removed to do a structural inspection of the building.

“The State of New Jersey still has an open, active investigation into the theft of the panels,” said Carrie Turner, director of retail for Madison Marquette. “Our schedule for the replacement of the panels is dependent on the conclusion of this investigation.”

“If the panels are recovered as a result of the investigation we would not need to re-create them,” she said.

The investigation into the theft is being conducted by the Division of Criminal Justice, Turner said. The Division is part of the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety.

Madison Marquette’s commitment to replace the panels remains unchanged if they’re not recovered, Turner said. No timeframe for the completion of the state’s investigation has been given to the company, she said.

Department of Law and Public Safety spokesperson Peter Aseltine declined comment, citing departmental policy to neither confirm or deny a criminal investigation.

After an investigation by the Asbury Park police failed to turn up the panels or a suspect, the Division of Criminal Justice offered their assistance which was accepted by the department, according to Capt. Anthony Salerno.

“During an extensive investigation, we ran into a situation in which all leads were exhausted,” Salerno said. “We spoke to all potential witnesses. There was no video. We spoke to all potential fencing operations that we were aware of and there were no lead there.”

“The Division of Criminal Justice offered to assist and the last time I spoke to them the case was still active,” he said.

The last contact the Asbury police had with state investigators regarding the panels was in September, Salerno said. The investigation into the theft by the Asbury police is closed, and at this time Salerno does not know the status of any investigation by the state, he said.

Madison Marquette reported to the police that the panels were stolen on Aug. 2, 2011, and announced publicly that they were stolen in March 2012.

The panels, which were original to the building’s 1929 construction, are about 5.5-x-16.5 feet in size, about an eighth of an inch thick, and weight about 450 pounds each. Their scrap value has been estimated at as much as $60,000.

Convention Hall, owned by Madison Marquette, is listed on both the state and federal Register of Historic Places.

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