Williamsburg Thief Stole Hundreds From 3 Synagogues, A Church

WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN — Police are looking for a man that broke into three synagogues and a church this year, stealing a total of $1,500 from the houses of worship.

The man first broke into Khal Adas Yereim Vien, a synagogue at 27 Lee Avenue, at 2:30 a.m. on Feb. 9. He came in through the front door, which was unsecured, and took $250 from a donation box before leaving, police said.

The same day, around 4 p.m., the man broke into Transfiguration Church at 240 Hooper Street through an unsecured window in the back, police said. He took about $250 worth of office supplies and fled, police said.

Then, just before 3 p.m. on March 12 the same man broke into Bnei Mordechai Cleveland synagogue on Bedford Avenue and took $600 and office supplies.

Later that day, around 7:50 p.m., the same man went into a synagogue at 171 South 9th Street through an unsecured elevator and took $400 and office supplies.

Police describe the man as approximately 30 to 40 years old and said he was last seen wearing a black cap, black jacket, grey hooded shirt, blue jeans and tan shoes. He was caught on surveillance video during the most recent incident, police said.

Anyone with information in regard to the identity of this male is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, on Twitter @ NYPDTips.

All calls are strictly confidential.