EDISON—When an irreplaceable package was stolen last month from outside resident Karen Delmonaco’s residence, the police told her that the chances of recovering what was inside — quilts made from her late son’s T-shirts — were slim.
However, on Dec. 8, Lyndhurst police recovered the quilts following a tip from the Englewood Cliffs police. According to Edison Township, Hector Davila, 48, of Lyndhurst now faces multiple charges of theft and receiving stolen property.
When Edison police let her know that the quilts had been recovered, “I was extremely relived,” said Delmonaco, a physical education teacher at the Lincoln Elementary School.
The package containing the quilts was delivered to the Delmonaco home the morning of Nov. 19, she said, adding she received a confirmation on her phone to let her know it was there. However, before Delmonaco came home, surveillance cameras captured the theft on tape. During the incident, a man carrying a Dunkin’ Donuts bag, Delmonaco said, approached the home, rang the doorbell, and when no one answered, walked away. A few minutes later, he returned with a pillow, which he used to replace the white-colored package he took to “make it look like something was still there.”
Delmonaco said there were three quilts in the package—Christmas presents for her family of her late son, Robert. She said she had tailored each quilt to the types of memories the recipient and her son shared. The shirts featured everything from wrestling to musical acts—and especially the beach.
“My son loved to surf,” she said.
Each quilt also had a piece of his military uniform. Robert Delmonaco, 21, died a little over a year ago. A graduate of Valley Forge Military College, he was attending Kean University in Union and serving in the 102nd Calvary of the U.S. Army at the time of his passing.