May 7, 2017 - More than $1 million worth of coal mining equipment operating components have been reported stolen from machinery at a mine site east of Blairsville, Pennsylvania.

The components were reported missing Thursday by Rosebud Mining Company from a site along the Penn View Mountain section of Route 22, according to state police at Indiana.

Company officials could last account for the items sometime in March.

State police likened the equipment to the spark plugs in an automobile, and reported that the items are essential pieces of machinery needed to operate heavy mining equipment.

Rosebud operates a strip mining site in the area.

Missing are 50 SCR bridges and 35 firing packages with a total value of $1,081,830.

“An SCR bridge is simply a device which converts A/C current to D/C current inside heavy machinery equipment. These devices are designed specifically for use in heavy machinery equipment,” according to state police at Indiana.

“A firing package is a modular device that regulates electrical current inside heavy machinery equipment. These devices are also designed specifically for use in heavy machinery equipment. In layman’s terms, a firing package could be compared to a spark plug in an automobile.”

Investigators reported the SCR bridges and firing packages were physically removed from heavy equipment at the mine site, in much the same way that someone would open the hood and remove components from the engine compartment of a motor vehicle.

“As for identifying any suspects, we are currently exploring all possibilities and would encourage anyone with information to contact Troop A, Indiana at (724) 357-1960,” reported state Trooper Clifford Greenfield, a public information officer at the Indiana station.