Edo Rosenberg says the 9-foot-tall piece, which he spent months creating, was cut up and sold as scrap.
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.
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.