Man Stole Bronze Gravestone Vases At Cemetery: Arlington Heights PD

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — Police say a 61-year-old Northlake man accused of removing bronze gravestone vases placed at various gravesites in an Arlington Heights cemetery may have stolen thousands of similar vases at other Chicagoland locations in the past year. Randall G. Kasten, 61, of the 0 block of N. Whitehall Avenue, was arrested last Friday and charged with felony counts of unlawful vandalism of a gravestone and theft.

Kasten was released following his arrest and is due in court Tuesday. The Cook County State's Attorney's Office approved the felony charges.

At around 2:45 p.m. Friday, police responded to a cemetery in the 2500 block of East Euclid Avenue after receiving a 911 call for a suspicious person on the property. A cemetery employee reportedly saw Kasten removing bronze gravestone vases placed at various grave sites. He fled on foot when police arrived.

The responding officers set up a perimeter, deployed a drone and requested the assistance of a K9 from the Mount Prospect Police Department to locate Kasten. After a short search, he was located and arrested following a positive witness identification.

During a subsequent interview with police, Kasten reportedly said his intention was to remove the bronze vases and sell them to an undisclosed scrapyard. Kasten also admitted to many similar crimes since fall 2024, suggesting he may have stolen more than 1,000 bronze vases from different area cemeteries.