Who is this: Ventnor police look to solve bust mystery

VENTNOR, N.J. (WPVI) -- Back in November, Ventnor police found a 20 pound life-size bust of a man's head sitting on the boardwalk near Lafayette Avenue.

They suspect someone stole it from a home in a burglary that hasn't been discovered yet.

"Probably went up on the boardwalk and found that it was too heavy. They would never be able to pawn it and probably dumped it right there when they probably saw one of our patrol cars," Ventnor Police Captain Doug Biagi said.

The only clue on the sculpture is a signature that says Hilda '72.

Police have gone door to door in the area asking about the mystery man and posted his image on social media, but still no leads.

People have speculated it might be a bust of football coach Knute Rockne or Luca Brasi from the Godfather.

"You name it, somebody says it looks like somebody they know but they can't place it. So we've had a lot of fun with it, but really it's obviously important to somebody and we just want to get it back to them," Biagi said.

"He's normally in the property room, but we've put him between our office and the detective bureau so when people walk by maybe somebody on a luck chance will say, 'hey, I know that person."

Police have been trying to locate the owners of the statue for six months. If you recognize this mystery man or can help police identify him, give them a call.

"We are treating it almost like a missing person, a found object. We find a lot of things, a lot of things get turned into us: bikes, radio, cell phones, this is really distinct," Biagi said.

As more summer residents return to town, Captain Doug Biagi hopes someone will report the bust missing so he can solve the mystery of who the statue is and where it came from.