'They Also Took From The Poor,' More Than $1,000 In Donations Stolen From Bay Shore Mosque
BAY SHORE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Police were asking for help Wednesday night, after a house of worship fell victim to a heartless thief.
The suspects stole donations that had been earmarked for the needy.
Imam Muhammad Abdul Jabbar showed CBS2's Jennifer McLogan where the intruder struck mere hours after a community meeting with Suffolk Police at the Muslim Center of Long Island in Bay Shore.
"The screwdriver, so he opened it from here, he came this way," he said.
Security cameras captured images of the crook.
A masked male wearing an Under Armour jacket and sneakers pried open the poor box and made off with more than $1,000 in cash, police said.
"This is obligatory charity that they give in Ramadan," Abdul Jabbar said.
The imam and mosque members explained that religious tenet requires a certain percentage of one's yearly income be donated to charity, and that money is given weekly or even daily -- especially at this time of year.
"Not only did they commit a crime, and violate the sanctity of this house of worship, but they also took from the poor and needy in this neighborhood that we give money to on a regular basis," Arshad Majid said.
Ironically a group of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim leaders had just met there to join forces against bias crimes. The gathering was also attended by a great number of residents in the Bay Shore community.
"He broke in, unfortunate, but it warns us to be very cautious," Abdul Jabar said. "Of course this is heartbreaking."
The imam said in the spirit of charity if the burglar had asked for financial assistance it would have been given.
Police want the public's help, the suspect may have cased the area. He knew where to go for the money inside the mosque.
Suffolk police said at this time the burglary does not appear to be a bias crime.