- February 18, 2025
It may seem like a minor crime. A silver rope chain with a small silver cross was stolen from Saldo’s Pizzeria, 621 S. Yonge St., on March 31.
But for Steve Saldo and his son, Shawn, it’s a big loss. The cross contained ashes of their mother and grandmother, and they had hung it over her portrait in the restaurant they opened in early March after relocating from New York.
“I just can’t believe somebody would do that,” Steve Saldo said. “You see a cross hanging over a picture — you know there’s a meaning to it. It’s a sad thing.”
The cross can be distinguished by a screw on the back where the ashes are stored.
Somebody apparently snatched the necklace from the portrait which they had placed near the register. Saldo said he is always at the register or out mingling with the customers, but he was gone for awhile that day.
“It meant a lot to me,” he said. “It’s very upsetting.”
Shawn Saldo said they had placed her portrait and cross in the restaurant to watch over them.
“We want her to part of everything that is going on,” he said. “It’s crazy that someone would take it.”
Steve Saldo said business has been great since opening, and they have made a lot of friends. They have no suspects.
He said every morning when he goes the restaurant he hopes it’s returned. According to the police report, they are not pursuing criminal charges and only want the necklace back.
Saldo said his mother would enjoy seeing the new family business thriving.
“She would be a proud mother,” he said. “She’s looking down now telling me I’m doing good. I was her youngest. I was her baby.”
A police spokesman said if anyone has information, they can call the department at 677-0731 and leave a message for Officer Dan Jordan.
