One man was arrested Tuesday after his alleged involvement in the theft of the statue of the first Make-A-Wish child.
RELATED: Statue of the first Make-A-Wish child stolen in Phoenix late Tuesday night
Video in the player above includes previous coverage from when the statue was stolen.
Surveillance cameras showed who police believe to be 32-year-old Troy Burke and another unknown individual pull up into the organization's driveway and harness a chain around the bronze statue to dislocate it.
Details leading up to Burke's arrest have not yet been released.
Police say that when Burke was arrested he "admitted to his involvement in this case."
Burke was booked into jail on charges including theft and trafficking of stolen property.
Police say the portion of the statue recovered is destroyed.
ABC15 spoke to Linda Pauling, the mother of Arizona's first Make-A-Wish child.
She shared her thoughts after learning two people were seen on video stealing the statue of her son from the foundation's headquarters near 16th Street and Highland.
"Oh, my gosh. It's been wild. I have heard from so many old friends, retirees and everyone is like wow,” said Pauling.
She tells ABC15 law enforcement has been hyper-focused on what happened.
"It really is amazing because these guys were just like, yeah, we are going to do this. You know. And, yes! This is why we need police officers,” added Pauling.
Seeing what has happened to the statue, since its late-night removal, is not an option for Pauling.
"I don't want to see it. I don't want to see him all chopped up. I can't. No. My mind does not need to see that,” added Pauling.
Police are hopeful they will find the second person who took the statue.
Pauling tells ABC15 the thieves got less than 200 bucks from chop shops for their big 'get'.
She says believes, with all her heart, the other thief will be caught. And, when both are prosecuted, she wants the penalty to be severe and both men to wear something other than a prisoner's uniform.
"Let's give those two Make-A-Wish t-shirts and put a number on it. So, every inmate there knows they stole from kids. They violated children,” added Pauling.
Leslie Motter, president, and CEO of Make-A-Wish America released the following statement after the arrest announcement:
"We are so grateful to the Phoenix PD and everyone in the community who rallied to help us retrieve the statue. This statue represents not only Chris’ wish that inspired the founding of our organization in Phoenix, but also the more than 520,000 life-changing wishes that have been granted as part of the lasting ripple effect of Chris’ wish. Chris’ statue is a daily reminder that there’s no limit to the impact that a wish can have, and I’m so relieved for our staff, supporters and co-founders — especially Chris’ mom, Linda — that the statue was found.”
Officials ask that anyone with information regarding the second individual involved in this incident contact the Phoenix Police Department or Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS or 480-TESTIGO for Spanish speakers.
