Man Charged With Robbing Long Island Cathedral 3 Times

A man who robbed St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre multiple times was arrested on Wednesday, police said — for totally different crimes.

According to police, around 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 20, 2019, Alexander Barone, 30, of Queens Village, entered the cathedral after it was closed and pried open a donation box to steal the cash inside. On Aug. 27, around 4:30 p.m., police say he went through a locked gate to gain access to the cathedral and again pried open a donation box and stole the contents.

On Wednesday, Barone was arrested by Long Beach Police officers for an open Nassau County warrant for criminal possession of a controlled substance. During his arrest, officers determined he was involved in burglaries committed in Nassau County, and he was transferred to the Nassau County First Precinct.

Nassau County detectives say their investigation showed he was responsible for the break-ins at the cathedral, as well as a third break-in on Jan. 30, 2020.

Barone is charged with three counts of third-degree burglary and criminal possession of a controlled substance. He is scheduled to be arraigned later today in First District Court in Hempstead.