CAPE MAY, N.J. — A colorful statue of the nursery-rhyme character Humpty Dumpty was forcibly removed from a miniature golf course early Sunday and dumped down the street, and Cape May police are asking the public to help identify two men captured on surveillance video.
Police said the incident occurred at Ocean Putt Golf at about 4 a.m. Video released by the department shows two men stopping at the course, one climbing over a fence to enter the grounds, grabbing the statue, rocking it back and forth and pulling it off its foundation before the pair walked away. The statue, described by police as a smiling figure with a large white head, red cheeks, a yellow bow tie, a blue jacket and gray pants, was later found several properties away.
Cape May police detectives asked for help identifying the two men in multiple videos posted to the department's Facebook page. A message was left at a phone number listed for Ocean Putt Golf; the golf course's Instagram page includes images of the Humpty Dumpty statue above one of the course's holes earlier this year.
Authorities have not released details on any suspects or charges as the investigation continues. The incident prompted online sharing of the surveillance footage and local attention because the statue evokes the familiar nursery rhyme in which Humpty Dumpty falls from a wall and cannot be put back together again by "all the king's horses and all the king's men."
Detectives encouraged anyone with information to contact the Cape May police department. The case remains under investigation as officers review video and follow leads from the public and any additional footage.