In "The Cat Burglar," Rob struggles for an explanation as to why thieves would want to take a dining room set and concludes it was for its prestige value and publicity potential, “like the guy who stole the ferry boat and sailed it up the Hudson”. This remark sounds like a topical reference, though the exact circumstances surrounding the event are no longer clear. Does anyone have any information to substantiate the reference?

I'm inclined to think the writers had a very specific event in mind, even though the reference is vague. A similar kind of allusion occurs in "The Masterpiece" where Rob talks about “that junk man that found a Rembrandt under a worthless painting”. In this case, Rob appears to be alluding to Thomas Humphrey Ward’s discovery of a painting in 1908 -- old news, to be sure, but real news.