Warrant Issued For Suspect In Central N.J. Mosque Burglary

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) - Police in South Brunswick, New Jersey have issued a warrant for a man they believe made off with several hundred dollars from a mosque's donation box Tuesday night.

South Brunswick police on Friday night issued the warrant charging Haziq Shah, 23, of Edison, with burglary, theft, and criminal mischief in connection with the burglary at the Islamic Center of New Jersey on Route 1.

"He's in the hallway, it's in a slot in the wall and what the actor had done is cut through the sheetrock," Lt. James Ryan told WCBS 880's Levon Putney.

Ryan said at one point on the surveillance footage, the suspect is seen standing up and turning his back to the wall to hide the hole as a couple of worshipers walk by.

Police say it seems as though the suspect came for more than just the one donation box.

"It looks like he brought a screwdriver and his first attempt is not actually to break into the wall, his first attempt is to break into an office," Ryan said, adding that the suspect may have been trying to get into all the donation boxes.

As CBS2's Ilana Gold reported, the thefts have left mosque leaders fearing for their safety.

"There is no need for him to do what he did," Imam Hamed Chebley said, "It is not a human action to attack somebody or property or others."

The money was not the biggest issue, Chebley explained, dozens of children were in a room right across the way in class.

"There was no big noise to let the teacher know to get them and go outside," he said.

He pried boxes open at the New Brunswick Islamic Center, but they were empty.

"He was trying to take money for running this center and providing services to the community and helping those in need," Sami Catovic said.

An investigation by detectives led to Shah's Edison home, and detectives recovered physical evidence linking Shah to the crime, police said.

Bail for Shah has been set at $47,500 in the warrant, police said.

After investigating, police said the same suspect may be responsible for the burglaries of at least five mosques around Middlesex County within the past month. But Shah has not been charged with the other incidents in the warrant.

Anyone with knowledge of Shah's whereabouts was asked to call South Brunswick Police at (732) 329-4646.

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