Edo Rosenberg says the 9-foot-tall piece, which he spent months creating, was cut up and sold as scrap.
[Ads /]
He had bolted the sculpture to the ground outside his studio so it could rust for part of the design.
VIDEO: Thieves take off with SJ artist's 600-pound metal sculpture bolted to the ground
VIDEO: Thieves take off with SJ artist's 600-pound sculpture
Surveillance video showed a man with a truck stealing the sculpture on New Year's Day.
Officers tracked down the driver, who they say confessed to scrapping the sculpture at a recycling center.
[Ads /]
Officers couldn't find the pieces, and the company may face penalties.
Police arrested the 40-year-old suspect for grand theft after his confession.