A massive sculpture dedicated to healthcare personnel and Covid-19 victims that was constructed this week in the south-eastern corner of Central Park in New York City has been torn down, apparently as a result of confusion and red tape.

Sergio Furnari, the Italian sculptor behind the giant red heart, claimed he was strolling near Grand Army Plaza with companions on Thursday afternoon when he saw his Heroes Heart statue was vanished.

He was bounced from station to station when he attempted to submit a police complaint, he claimed, until an officer showed him footage showing persons taking the 10ft, 3,000lb monument and loading it into a truck.

Furnari remarked, "They literally broke my heart."

Furnari admitted that he didn't have a permit to put the heart in the park, but said a $4,000 donation from the local administration qualified as approval for a temporary display. He referred to the removal of his monument as a "abuse of power."

The Central Park Conservancy, a non-profit that oversees the park on behalf of the city, has been contacted for comment. Furnari said that he intends to visit the group on Monday to learn more about what transpired.

Furnari said that he intended the sculpture to be a haven of emotional and spiritual calm in the midst of the busy metropolis, rather than merely a popular selfie destination, but he admitted that he was OK with that as well.

The project was a follow-up to a life-size sculpture of a healthcare worker kneeling with arms raised to the sky that was produced earlier in the epidemic.

The artist outlined his goal in an interview before to the sculpture's dismantling.

"Everyone suffers in different ways and requires various forms of comfort," Furnari said. "I hope this heart helps them remember and cope with the loss of their loved ones." They can forget about their concerns for a while."

Thanks to Associated Press in New York at The Guardian whose reporting provided the original basis for this story.