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Miami Herald

Popular ‘Portal' art sculpture stripped of copper wires in act of thievery, PA cops say

Philadelphia's popular 'Portal' art installation was damaged after Pennsylvania police say a group of accused copper thieves ripped into it to steal wiring. The Philadelphia Police Department is searching for the suspects and shared pictures of the four people. They say one was caught on surveillance camera 'cutting a section of copper wire from the Portal Machine at Love Park,' the department said in a March 4 news release. The group stole the wiring at about 5:40 a.m. on Feb. 1, then left Love Park with a large green and yellow trash bin in tow, police said and photos show. At least one of the men appears to have boarded a train after vandalizing the art sculpture, police said. The Portal was unveiled in Philadelphia's Love Park in October and has been popular with locals and tourists. The sculpture is one of only five installed in cities across the globe, each one displaying a 24/7 livestream of whatever is happening on the other side — providing a small window into the lives of those thousands of miles away, and vice versa. Or as the project's website puts it: 'Portals are a bridge to cultures from around the world. Together, we co-own and expand this global artwork.' The Portal was first revealed in the U.S. in May in New York City and connected to Dublin, Ireland. But it was temporarily shut down soon after, as too many people were exposing their genitals and surprising unsuspecting passersby with pornography and images of the 9/11 terror attacks, outlets reported. The Portal was then relocated to the city of brotherly love. Philadelphia Parks and Recreation announced the Portal was 'down for repairs' on Jan. 30, just two days before it was struck by the accused copper thieves. It's unclear how much damage the group did to the sculpture, but officials had previously said it would be back up and running by early March, WCAU reported. Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of the alleged copper thieves is asked to contact investigators at 215-686-3093.