NYPD Looking For Suspect In Brooklyn Church Thefts
NEW YORK (CBSNewYorkAP) -- Police say they're looking for a thief who's been targeting Brooklyn churches.
As CBS2's Emily Smith reported, the continuing crime spree has prompted a possible upgrade to locks on church doors in some sections of Brooklyn.
Since Oct. 9, there have been at least 11 afternoon or evening incidents. In some of them, the would-be thief left empty-handed. In others, the person took cash, laptops and a digital camera, police said.
NYPD Looking For Suspect In Church Thefts
Specifically, the burglaries happened at the following times and locations:
• Around 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9. The suspect entered the Nectarios Greek Orthodox Church at 340 67th St. and removed items;
• Around 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17. The suspect entered through a wall at the St. Mary's Antiochian Church at 192 81st St., and took an undetermined sum of cash;
• Around 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18. The suspect came through a window at Our Lady of Angels, at 344 73rd St., and took a laptop computer and a key for the key box;
• Around 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19. The suspect came through the rear of the Assembleia Pentecostal Church at 317 48th St. and took $200 cash;
• Around 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23. The suspect entered through a side window at St. Anselm's Rectory, at 356 82nd St. The suspect took an HP laptop;
• Around 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31. The suspect entered the Catholic Brothers Institute Residence at 344 73rd St., and tried to take items;
• Around 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1. The suspect walked through the front door of the Tian Fu United Methodist Church at 4616 Fourth Ave., and tried to remove items;
• Around 9 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 4. The suspect came through an unknown location at the OLPH church and school at 5902 Sixth Ave., and took a Canon digital camera, an HP laptop and an undetermined sum of cash;
• Around 5:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7. The suspect entered through a side window at the Church of the Holy Spirit, at 8117 Bay Pkwy., and took an HP laptop and an undetermined sum of cash;
• Around 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8. The suspect entered through a side window at the Fourth Avenue Presbyterian Church, at 6753 Fourth Ave., and took an undetermined sum of cash;
• Around 10 p.m., also Saturday, Nov. 8. The suspect entered through an unknown location at the Zion Lutheran Church, at 6307 Fourth Ave., and tried to take items.
The jacket was left behind in the Zion Lutheran Church incident.
Neighbors in Brooklyn were shocked and disappointed.
"We have to help out, unfortunately, again to raise whatever it is that they need," one woman said.
"Today, they believe in the dollar; no more God," a man said.
"Put more effort in police work and try to find these guys to actually bring them to justice, because our church is part of our community," a man said.
Police believe the game group is behind all 11 burglaries, but they have yet to identify any suspects.
Police, meanwhile, have been meeting with church leaders to get tips and help them better protect themselves by checking locks and windows on the buildings, WCBS 880's Monica Miller reported.
Anyone with information was asked to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS, log onto the Crime Stoppers website, or text tips to 274637 (CRIMES) and enter TIP577.
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