Statue honoring Tuskegee Airman returned to Rouge Park after theft

Detroit Tuskegee Airman statue returned and restored

The statue honoring Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson is back were it belongs after being stolen in 2024.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - As planes fly through the Metro Detroit sky, it’s only fitting that they soar above a field and statue dedicated to a pilot who broke barriers.

The backstory:

On Friday, friends and family created new memories with the re-installed statue of Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson — a Prisoner of War and original Tuskegee airman.

"Welcome to a very proud and exciting day for the City of Detroit, for the Tuskegee Airmen chapters, and the family of Lt Col. Alexander Jefferson," said Rochelle Riley, Detroit ACE director.

This statue was originally installed in Rouge Park's Jefferson Field in June 2024… but then, stolen several months later.

Detroit police say the thief wanted it for bronze. About 24 hours after the theft, investigators caught the culprit.

"Thank you to the City of Detroit," said Tony Stevenson, Tuskegee Airmen Inc. Detroit Chapter president. "Thank you to the men and women of the Detroit Police Department for bringing these perpetrators to justice quickly."

A year later, the statue is back in its right place.

"Everybody within the city of Detroit, family members, and the Detroit chapter owes a lot of gratitude to the Detroit Police Department to being able to recover the statue in 24 hours," said Earnestine Lavergne. "For it to be put back up within a year's time from being dedicated, that’s true pride."

Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson

Lavergne is Jefferson’s granddaughter. She was one of many loved ones in attendance to mark the special occasion.

Gwenelle Spann, the widow of a Tuskegee airman was one of the many in attendance.

FOX 2: "As someone who was married to a Tuskegee airman, what does it mean to show the love and appreciation here?"

"It means they haven’t been forgotten because during the time they served and came home, no one knew about them," Spann said.

This past summer, the post office in Mount Clemens where Jefferson worked as a civilian — dedicated a plaque to him.

The former fighter pilot also worked as an educator and he never stopped teaching others about our history.

"I had the pleasure of meeting him, speaking to him, talking to him about his pow experience," Spann said. "The one thing he did say is they treated him like an office and a gentleman. He got treated better in Germany as a Prisoner of War than he got treated in the United States."

Col. Jefferson's story was also profiled in the Apple+ show "Masters of the Air."

The Source: Information for this report came from today's presentation and previous reporting.