Drexel University Professor Mariana Chilton was “one of three women accused of stealing pro-Israel signs from outside a synagogue and a home in Lower Merion last year,” NBC 10 Philadelphia reported on July 2.
The synagogue was Main Line Reform Temple in Wynnewood.
And Chilton, months after being arrested by police near the temple, was placed on administrative leave by Drexel.
Drexel President John Fry, who is also now the incoming president of Temple University, announced the decision in an email to the school community after NBC 10’s reporting came to light.
“We are aware of news media reporting that Mariana Chilton, a professor in Drexel’s Dornsife School of Public Health, was criminally charged with stealing pro-Israel signs from both synagogue property and the lawn of a private residence in Lower Merion Township,” Fry wrote. “Professor Chilton has been placed on administrative leave while the University evaluates all the circumstances surrounding the allegations in light of relevant policies while also assessing the impact on Drexel’s educational program.”
The incidents happened more than a month after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7. In late November, “a Lower Merion Township police officer was driving when he spotted a white Honda CRV that was stopped at a curb outside the Main Line Reform Temple on 410 East Montgomery Avenue in the town’s Wynnewood section, investigators said,” according to the NBC article.
There had been reports at the time of pro-Israel signs being stolen in Lower Merion, per the article. The officer “spotted two women – later identified as Sarah Prickett, 39, of Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, and Sam Penn, 25, of New York — walking towards the SUV.” When he approached the vehicle, he saw Chilton inside as well with “several pro-Israel signs.”
The officer told the women to lower their window, according to the article. Then he asked about the signs.
“We are just taking them because we feel like it is a representative of genocide,” Chilton said.
Chilton offered to put the signs back but became uncooperative when asked for identification, though she did end up providing an insurance card for the vehicle. The officer later removed the signs from the SUV. They said, “MLRT Stands With Israel,” “We Stand With Israel” and “Our Community Stands With Israel.”
Four days later, the officer responded to a report of a theft on the 500 block of Manor Road in Wynnewood, according to the NBC article. The homeowner, Stephen Chopnick, said his “We Stand With Israel” signs had been stolen from his front yard. “Investigators later determined those two signs were the same signs that were found inside Chilton’s vehicle.”
Security footage from one of Chopnick’s neighbors and from MLRT later connected Chilton and her SUV to both incidents, according to the NBC article. She was charged with conspiracy, criminal trespass, driving an unregistered vehicle and receiving stolen property, among other charges. Her case is in the pretrial stage in county court.
“These signs have value. They are people’s property,” said Capt. Eugene J. Pasternak of the Lower Merion Police Department.
Chilton’s research focuses on hunger and economic insecurity, according to Drexel.edu. She has a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. She has testified before Congress “on the importance of child nutrition programs.” “She has served as an advisor to ‘Sesame Street.’”
Pasternak said people from all walks of life steal signs during contentious political situations.
“When you’re getting into political issues, you are going to have people who are educated. They’re up to date on current events,” he added.
“While Professor Chilton is entitled to the presumption of innocence, the alleged actions for which she has been criminally charged are deeply troubling,” Fry wrote.
“The University is committed to maintaining a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment for all our students, faculty and professional staff, and will not tolerate acts of bias, discrimination, or harassment in any form on or off campus, including on the basis of national origin or shared Jewish ancestry,” he wrote earlier in the email.