January 21, 2026
Cape May Police Department/Facebook
Blane C. Dongas, 29, of Dallas, Luzerne County, was identified Wednesday as the alleged vandal who was caught on video damaging a statue of Humpty Dumpty at Ocean Putt Golf in Cape May in September. He surrendered to police Monday to face criminal mischief and trespassing charges.
A northern Pennsylvania man who allegedly vandalized a statue of Humpty Dumpty at Cape May's Ocean Putt Golf in September turned himself in to police Monday to face charges, authorities said.
Surveillance footage allegedly shows Blane C. Dongas, 29, of Dallas, Luzerne County, climbing a fence to approach the Humpty Dumpty sculpture at the decades-old mini golf course at Jackson Street and Beach Avenue. He then can be seen ripping the fiber-glass egg from its mount and walking off with it, investigators said. The vandalism occurred around 4 a.m. on Sept. 7.
MORE: Ocean Casino Resort called on JWoww and Shooter McGavin for opening of mini golf course
Later that morning, Humpty Dumpty was found abandoned at a nearby property. Police released a photo showing the statue's top hat and one of its hands had been broken.
The oddity of the vandalism garnered some national news coverage as authorities searched for the vandal. The Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme, first recorded in late 18th century England, tells the tale of a poor egg that takes a "great fall" from a wall and cracks into pieces.
Police said the golf course was given an estimate of $1,000 to repair the statue and $2,000 to replace it, an outlook more optimistic than the lore from all the king's horses and all the king's men.
After police put the surveillance video online, they said an anonymous tipster identified Dongas within hours.
A search warrant for Dongas' phone records confirmed that he was outside Ocean Putt Golf at the time of the crime, police said.
Dongas, who surrendered to police at the advice of his attorney, is charged with criminal mischief and trespassing. He was released on a summons pending court proceedings.
Police did not provide any information about a second man shown on the surveillance video or whether he could face any charges.
Ocean Putt Golf, a family-owned course that opened in 1964, could not be reached for comment.
