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The nativity scene on the Romitos' lawn is missing the baby Jesus.

(Courtesy of Romito family)

The Baby Jesus was stolen from the Romitos' front lawn on Daniel Street in Rockaway Township.

ROCKAWAY TOWNSHIP — A Rockaway Township husband and wife say they are "heartbroken" after a Baby Jesus was stolen from a nativity scene on their front lawn.

But Elaine and Mark Romito haven't given up on retrieving the item that has graced the front of their home at 8 Daniel St. during the Christmas season for the past 22 years.

The couple is asking for help from the public in the hope that Baby Jesus will be returned.

"If a child took it, perhaps the parent knows," Elaine Romito said in an interview Tuesday. "If they see something that doesn't belong to them, maybe they'll bring it back."

Romito is hopeful that the thief kept the Baby Jesus and didn't just throw it away.

If it is returned, she said, she will be most appreciative and won't ask any questions.

"I could put up a replacement, but who's to say whoever did it won't take a replacement?" Romito asked.

The Baby Jesus has "great sentimental value," she added. Even though it's plastic and worth about $20, she noted that each year her husband has carefully wrapped it for use the next holiday season.

The theft took place sometime between 9 p.m. Thursday and 8 a.m. Friday, Romito said.

The couple went out to dinner Thursday evening and Baby Jesus was still there when they returned. But by morning, it was gone, and the couple reported it to the police.

"They asked us to call around the neighborhood," to find out if anyone had seen anything, Romito said.

She added that the theft left her and her husband feeling "very violated."

"Somebody took it from right under our picture window. This is our space, our property," she said.

Noting that the thief left behind the replicas of Joseph and Mary, she called the action "calculated."

"Why do that?" Romito asked. "Somebody just wanted to be mean, or thought it was funny."

"It's Christmastime," Romito added. "It's supposed to be peace on earth."

Ben Horowitz may be reached at bhorowitz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @HorowitzBen. Find NJ.com on Facebook.