WSKB’s Jay Pagluica.
WESTFIELD- The Gofundme that was opened to help recoup the losses from the theft of lighting equipment following this year’s Ghost Tours at the Old Burying Ground has been closed at $2,910.
Westfield Historical Commission Chair Cindy Gaylord said that the money that was raised from the Gofundme will go directly to Jay Pagluica so that he may replace the lighting kit that was stolen. Pagluica volunteered his time and equipment as he does every year for the historical Ghost Tours.
“The best I could hope for is that they show up at the door of the police station, no questions asked,” said Pagluica shortly after the equipment was stolen, “I don’t want this to be a pity party. It’s not about me.”
The full lighting kit consists of Two Chauvet ColorDash Battens, six Chauvet SlimPar56 lights, and a fog machine.
Initially, Pagluica said he did not want to have any fundraising done on his behalf, but he had been convinced by others that he should allow it. Pagluica volunteered his equipment for many events in the city over the years, and Gaylord said that he would be unable to do so in the future without new lights.
The lights were stolen sometime overnight the last day of the Ghost Tours on Sept. 28. Members of the Historical Commission had gone to the Old Burying Ground to cleanup the following day to find that the lights were already gone. Gaylord said that they thought nothing of it at the time because they assumed Pagluica had already come to get them.
It was not until later when Gaylord received a call from Pagluica asking if they had already grabbed his lights that she realized what had happened.
Some of the Commissioners believe that the perpetrators used a ladder to scale over the wall of the burying ground.
