Staten Island church burglarized 3 times in a little more than a month, police say
NEW YORK - Police want your help identifying a suspect after they say a Staten Island church was burglarized three times in a matter of weeks.
It happened at the Celestial Church of Christ on Canal Street.
The first incident took place on Dec. 11 at around 10 p.m. by breaking through a locked back door. Police say he stole electronics worth about $4,000. The second incident happened a little more than a month later, on Jan. 28 at around 1 a.m. This time he got away with music equipment worth approximately $1,200. The third incident took place just two days later on Jan. 30 at around 11 p.m., and in that incident the suspect got away with approximately $4,000 worth of equipment and supplies.
According to police statistics, burglaries in the 120th precinct, where the church is located, are up 220% against the same time last year, with 16 so far this year, up from five in 2024. Robberies are also up 100% in that precinct, with 18 thus far this year, up from nine last year. Citywide, however, burglaries are down 5.2% year to date, with 1,126 so far this year versus 1,176 the same time last year.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on X, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
