L-R, Surveillance image of a suspect believed to have vandalized an ice sculpture as part of Avenue of Ice along College Avenue in Appleton, a picture of the destroyed ice sculpture, February 22, 2026. (Photos courtesy of Appleton Police Department andThe Center for Suicide Awareness)
APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — An organization is heartbroken after its sponsored Avenue of Ice sculpture was vandalized over the weekend.
Appleton police say the person who allegedly picked up The Center for Suicide Awareness‘s heart sculpture and threw it to the ground Sunday, had turned himself in after police released surveillance images on social media.
The Center for Suicide Awareness says a camera captured the suspect taking a photo with another ice sculpture along College Avenue before destroying theirs.
The organization wrote:
The theme of this year’s event is “What We Love About Wisconsin,” and our sculpture was thoughtfully designed to represent connection, compassion, and the reminder that no one has to struggle alone. At the Center for Suicide Awareness, one of our core missions is showing that kindness can save a life. This sculpture symbolized that love can reach someone who is struggling — sometimes in ways we may never fully see.
Twenty-six ice sculptures make up this year’s Avenue of Ice, which began Saturday. The sculptures were not up a full 24 hours before The Center for Suicide Awareness’s sculpture was destroyed.
The organization asks that if you took a photo of their sculpture before it was destroyed, they would love to see it. You can share it with them on Facebook.
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