TOOLBAG ALERT: Terracotta Thumb Thief

Who the hell has the impulse to break a thumb off a 2,000-year-old statue on loan from China worth over $4m? I’ll tell you, 24 year-old Michael Rohana of Bear, Delaware.

The 10 terracotta statues on loan to the Franklin Institute from China’s Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Centre are part of a collection of 8,000 life-size clay warriors discovered in 1974.

Rohana was attending an ugly-sweater Holiday party just before Christmas. Apparently, he entered the Terracotta Warrior display room through an unlocked door, took a selfie with one of the statues, and then broke a thumb off the statue and placed it into his pocket. Authorities found the thumb in this toolbag’s desk drawer.

Understandably, the Chinese government is upset and wants a harsh punishment against Rohana.

This is not want Philly needs, especially after the overblown Minnesota Vikings fan incident. The national reputation of Philadelphians is one of cheering injuries of opposing teams’ players, assaulting visiting fans of other teams, throwing batteries, etc. We’ve all heard it. The last thing we needed to add was desecrating a 2,000-year-old jawn on loan from a foreign country, but that happened. We get a bad rap because of a few knuckleheads. Add Rohana to that list.

Make no mistake. The rest of the country and the world is paying attention. Here is a collection of stories about this bonehead’s maneuver: USA Today, Washington Post, CNN, NBC, New York Times, BBC, The Guardian, Huff Post. The list could go on and on and on.

As is often the case with people causing a ruckus in Philly that goes viral, Rohana is not from Philly, but was visiting from Bear, DE. I hope he’s happy. He’s helping to tarnish the name of Philadelphians AND to ugly-sweater wearers everywhere.

Ugly-sweater partiers can’t be trusted. They are a bunch of narcissistic Millennials worried about selfies without any appreciation of history or art. I’m not saying that, but people will.

This Rohana guy should be banned from entering Philadelphia and cultural institutions across the globe. Maybe send him to China to be sentenced.

Let’s not forget about the Franklin Institute’s involvement in all of this. If someone loans you something worth $4.3m you do your darndest to make sure that something is safe and secure. The toolbag is alleged to have entered through an unlocked door. AN UNLOCKED DOOR?!

They can’t be serious. The Franklin Institutes rents out space for an Ugly-Sweater Party and they don’t lock down everything valuable in the building? Anyone who has ever thrown a party in high school, college, or adulthood knows to party-proof the premises from spills, breakages, and theft.

TOTAL VIOLATION on the Franklin Institute here as well. They should have known better.

Thanks Michael Rohana and the Franklin Institute for helping to contribute to the undeserved and notorious reputation that often plagues Philly and Philadelphians.