2 baby Jesus figures stolen from displays

Holiday humbugs struck two Newport Beach homes Friday night, stealing baby Jesus figures from yard displays in the 400 block of Santa Ana Avenue.

Newport Beach police aren’t sure who is responsible for the thefts or whether any similar crimes have occurred in the city this winter, Sgt. Evan Sailor said. The figures were each worth about $40, he said.

In 2004, a Costa Mesa church was the victim of a nativity theft when someone stole a plywood baby Jesus painted by Sunday school children. That incident, a little more than a year ago, happened at the Mesa Verde United Methodist Church and was the second such theft there in three years.