Police: Hilltop items popular targets for thieves

SAUGUS – As Hilltop Steak House prepares to close forever on Sunday, some diners are leaving with more than just meals: They’re stealing the plates on which they were served and trying to sell them online.While nostalgic diners have flocked to the Route 1 landmark this week, Saugus Police say thieves have also tried to capture pieces of the Route 1 landmark.”Currently there are 12 bids on a Hilltop Steak House oval plate,” Saugus Police Lt. Ronald Giorgetti said Thursday evening, checking eBay. (He said the highest bid was $37). “So we’re going to follow up on that to see if we can determine who may have committed the larceny and try and retrieve those items for the Hilltop.”The management of Hilltop Steak House announced last week that the landmark Route 1 restaurant will close this Sunday after 52 years.The cactus sign and grazing herd of cows may be the most familiar icons of the restaurant. But other items are apparently in demand as Giorgetti said police received a report Monday that two antique pots and 10 plates with the Hilltop logo had been stolen from the restaurant.Giorgetti said leather-bound menus have also been reported stolen since the initial report. He said the pots were each worth approximately $600, and the plates altogether were worth approximately $200. He did not know a value of the menus.Some of the items are appearing on eBay, Giorgetti said, and police hope to use the site to track down the person or persons responsible for the alleged thefts.Meanwhile, Giorgetti said the department is working with restaurant management to ensure no further items are taken.