4 men wanted for theft of copper wire from "The Portal" in Philadelphia
News of the theft comes as the Portal, which has been offline for several weeks, is due to come back on after recent maintenance and upgrades.
The livestreaming screen was installed in the park in October 2024, connecting Philadelphians with Dublin, Ireland, Vilnius, Lithuania and Lublin, Poland. Tourists and locals alike flocked to the park to say hello to people across the Atlantic.
In November, the portal moved to a different part of LOVE Park to make room for the Christmas Village market.
Authorities allege that on Feb. 1, a man clad in a red hooded sweatshirt and dark-colored pants cut a section of copper wire from the portal and left the area with three other men.
Surveillance footage shows the men in what appears to be a subway station and on the Market-Frankford Line holding a yellow and green trash can, which contained the stolen wire, police say.
In late February, CBS News Philadelphia checked into why the portal had been out of service. The company said it was for maintenance and upgrades and should be back online in March.
We've reached out to Portals Inc. for a comment on the alleged theft and will update if we hear back.
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