He posed as a priest and stole $900 from a New York church: police are looking for him

The NYPD is searching for a suspect accused of stealing $900 from a church in Queens. The individual reportedly posed as a visiting priest from Rome and managed to trick church staff into letting him into the rectory, where he committed the robbery.

The incident occurred last Sunday at the Roman Catholic Church of the American Martyrs, moments before a mass scheduled for 12:30 p.m., as reported by Fox News Digital.

The suspect, dressed in a blue suit and a black shirt, appeared before the monsignor and told him that he would like to celebrate mass, but that all his belongings were in the rectory, where he had supposedly spent the night.

Father Peter Rayder, a priest at the church, told Fox5 NY that the suspect told him he had a letter of eligibility in his car and that he would go get it. However, instead, the individual entered the priest’s bedroom and stole $900 from a dresser, according to the version published by the media.

The physical characteristics of the suspect

The New York City Police Department reported that the room was unlocked during the robbery and that the suspect managed to escape the scene in a dark-colored sedan, traveling south on Bell Boulevard. Fortunately, Father Rayder was not injured during the incident.

Police described the suspect as a light-skinned man, approximately 45 to 55 years old,

190 pounds, 5’9″ tall, bald and bearded. Additionally, it was revealed that this individual is also a suspect in an attempted robbery that occurred last year at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Brooklyn, where he posed as a visiting priest who claimed to have left his keys in the rectory.

The Diocese of Brooklyn issued a statement expressing concern for the security of the churches and calling for the suspect to be apprehended before anyone is injured or more robberies occur. So far, police have not confirmed whether the suspect in the incident in Queens is the same individual who attempted to rob the church in Brooklyn.

Additionally, similar thefts have been reported in other states such as Texas, but it is still unclear if the same person is behind all of these incidents. Police continue to investigate and ask anyone with information about the suspect to contact authorities as soon as possible.

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