Donation boot stolen from outside North End fire station

BOSTON — Police in Boston’s North End are searching for the person who stole a charity donation fire boot from outside the Hanover Street Fire Station.

The money was being collected for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, but around 5 a.m. Monday it was gone.

“Truly disappointed that someone took it and made off with money that was in it allocated for the MDA,” Firefighter John Flowers said.

Boston 25 News reporter Drew Karedes spoke to officers who said they’ve already developed several clues about the crime.

The fire boot outside of Boston Fire Engine 8, Ladder 1 was a fixture that longtime North End residents like Sarah Shalek have been proud of for over a decade.

“It’s a staple around here it’s part of our community,” she said. “People think they can do and take whatever they want no matter what the cause is.”

It’s unclear how much money was in the boot, but Flowers said he believes it was probably several hundred dollars because it had been out for the busy holiday weekend.

This charity boot had been stolen once before, in 2013, and was later found damaged and empty near the Paul Revere statue.

This time, firefighters found a pair of pliers near the statue they believe might have been used to cut the cable that connected the boot to a child’s wagon outside the station. It looks like the thief tried to discard of the drained and damaged boot in the water at nearby Battery Warf.

"They should probably take it in every night. People are going to have to change the way they do things because of one unfortunate event one selfish ungrateful person," 
Gina Ficociello, an employee at a North End business, said.

Flowers said that’s going to have to happen when duty calls in the overnight hours so they can make sure it’s protected.

“If you’re having issues there’s other ways to go about it other than stealing from other people,” he said.

Police are still checking the area for evidence, but firefighters said the boot should be repaired by the end of the week and back outside the station shortly after that.

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