Bard College student accused of stealing art that survived the Holocaust

RED HOOK, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A student at Bard College was arrested Saturday after attempting to steal two historic paintings from the school. Police apprehended the student and the paintings will be returned, however they aren't just regular paintings -- they have ties to the Holocaust.

According to police, officers responded around 4 a.m. Saturday for a call of a possible burglary. Police said the student was a senior at Bard College and he removed the two paintings from the wall inside the Blithewood Mansion on the school's campus, before fleeing on foot.

“Deputies responded and discovered that a burglary had been committed, someone had broken into the building," said John Watterson, captain with the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office.

That building was the Blithewood Mansion located on Bard's campus. Police said the student fled into a wooded area, causing them to launch a different approach -- a drone.

“They can fly in any type of weather and they have thermal imaging which is basically heat seeking capabilities so that’s how they’re able to detect a person or living thing in a wooden area such as that," said Capt. Watterson.

Thermal imaging allowed the suspect to show up in red on the drone camera. Therefore, officers could respond to that area and apprehend him much faster.

“It just provides such a larger view of the area so when you’re looking for somebody or something and you’re on foot and in the car you can only see so much but when you have an aerial view, you’re going to have a much better view," said Watterson.

Police said the suspect charged with third-degree burglary. As for the artwork he stole, they weren't just regular paintings. These paintings were donated to to the school by a woman named Dr. Edith Neumann. Neumann's father was an art collector and had collected these two paintings, among many others in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Neumann travelled throughout Europe in the 1900s alongside her husband, escaping Nazi Germany. They traveled through Austria, Italy, France and London, trying to evade arrest following the rise of Hitler. Somehow, the couple also managed to carry these paintings along with them.

The couple moved to the U.S. a few years later where they settled in New York. When Dr. Neumann died, she donated the two paintings to Bard College, over 20 years ago.

Bard College confirmed that the two paintings are called "Forest" by G. Sherriff and "Harbour Scene" by Ludovico Marchetti. Both artists lived during the late 1800s and early 1900s. The school wasn't able to share photos of the artworks.

The paintings are expected to be returned to the school shortly. In a statement to NEWS10, Bard College said they were relieved no harm was done.

"We're pleased that nobody was hurt and the paintings are being returned," said Mark Primoff, spokesperson for Bard College.