Meshach’s Vest: The Strange Journey of a Heavy Metal Treasure

Babcock’s friend Nick Prom created a Facebook page titled “Macy’s Give Back Meshach’s Vest.” Within a couple days, the page got over 2,000 likes and was visited by 50,000 people. Local radio station 102.3 broadcast the story.

“I want my vest back, but also, it would be wonderful to find out how it made it there and who the culprit was,” says Babcock. “I could have taken a picture with them or let them try it on, but I don’t understand why they had to steal it. I don’t want to press charges, but I just want to know why.” 

“We are aware of Meshach’s claims and are actively working to get to the bottom of this,” said a spokesperson from Macy’s. “The vest in question is in a vendor shop, and is not Macy’s property. We have reached out to Meshach via social media and will work with our vendor to assist him. We hope that this gets resolved quickly.”

Maniak recently came off a yearlong hiatus, and has performed as an opening act for major metal bands like Anvil, Flotsam and Jetsam, and Raven, but they haven’t yet garnered as much attention as the vest. “It’s ironic that my vest is more famous than my band, but it’s flattering that Ralph Lauren and Macy’s think so highly of it,” Babcock says. “If I get it back, it’s amazing. This is what I wanted the whole time.”