Man Attempts to Steal Woman's Purse at Hell's Kitchen Church on Christmas Day

HELL'S KITCHEN, NY — A grinch attempted to steal a woman's purse Christmas Day at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle in Hell's Kitchen, police said. Three bystander caught the thief before he could run away, and held him at the church police arrived.

The 55-year-old victim was taking pictures inside the church at 405 W 59th St. She put her purse down on a pew while taking the pictures at 2:15 p.m., police said.

The thief, Sammy Sanchez, 57 then grabbed the purse and started to run off with it, police said.

The woman's relative and two other people who saw the incident caught Sanchez and kept him at the church until officers arrived, police said.

Sanchez was charged with one count of grand larceny in the fourth degree and one count of criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree, the district attorney's office told Patch.

Sanchez was arraigned Monday and was held on a $2,000 bail. His next scheduled court appearance is Friday, according to the district attorney's office.

Patch File Photo