British ColumbiaA missing helmet of Maple Ridge, B.C., racing legend Greg Moore has been found and a 39-year-old man has been arrested for alleged theft over $5,000 and possession of stolen property.One-of-a-kind item was taken from the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame in Sept. 3 robberyKarin Larsen · CBC News · Posted: Sep 18, 2025 7:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours agoB.C. Sports Hall of Fame curator Jason Beck poses with the recovered racing helmet worn by the late IndyCar racer Greg Moore. (submitted by B.C. Sports Hall of Fame)Jason Beck couldn’t help but feel a twinge of despair the day he walked the False Creek seawall in Vancouver, scouring the waters for the helmet of car racing legend Greg Moore.The one-of-a-kind item was stolen from the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame on Sept. 3, and Beck, the hall’s curator, had received a tip that it was spotted floating near the Cambie Street Bridge.”I went out to have a look. There was nothing there,” said Beck. “People wanted to help. They cared.”Beck even appealed to the paddling clubs that use False Creek to be on the lookout for the prized piece of B.C. sport history.But ultimately, it was Vancouver police who cracked the case, handing the signature blue and gold helmet back to Beck on Thursday, after recovering it at a residence on Dunlevy Avenue and arresting a 39-year-old man for alleged theft of over $5,000 and possession of stolen property.”It’s pretty emotional actually,” said Beck, holding the helmet. “We didn’t think this was coming back.”Sgt. Stan Dy of the Vancouver Police Department property crimes unit said solving the case of the missing helmet was a priority for his team. Greg Moore celebrates in victory lane after winning the Miami Grand Prix, Sunday March 21, 1999, at Miami-Dade Homestead Motorsports Complex. Moore won driving a Reynard-Mercedes-Benz with an average speed of 136.671 MPH. (Terry Renna/The Associated Press)”We’re super happy we recovered it for the family obviously, and for the hall of fame,” said Dy. Along with dozens of tips, Beck said the theft sparked a flood of outrage from the public.Moore grew up in Maple Ridge and was on the cusp of becoming a household name beyond Canada when he died during a race in California in 1999. He was 24.”The analogy I could use is to imagine if Wayne Gretzky was killed when he was 25,” said Beck. “Greg was going to be that in racing. You knew he was going to be great — he was already that.”Greg’s father said the Moore family is “incredibly relieved and thankful” to have the helmet returned to the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame. “This helmet is more than just a piece of equipment, it’s a part of Greg’s spirit, and what it represented to him, to us and to so many Canadians,” said Ric Moore in a statement.The helmet was stolen from a mannequin on display beside Moore’s race car. Beck said security measures at the hall have since been upgraded.According to VPD spokesperson Sgt. Steve Addison, the suspect is a chronic property crime offender with 95 previous theft convictions as an adult. Addison said charge recommendations have been forwarded to the B.C. Prosecution Service and the suspect released on an undertaking to return to court on Nov. 19.ABOUT THE AUTHORKarin Larsen is a former Olympian and award winning sports broadcaster who covers news and sports for CBC Vancouver.
Stolen helmet of Greg Moore recovered and returned to B.C. Sports Hall of Fame
