Police: Crucifix Stolen From Lobby Of Bronx Church During Service
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The NYPD is seeking the public's help in finding the suspects who stole a crucifix from a church in the Bronx.
Police said the 5-foot-tall, 3-foot-wide crucifix was stolen from the lobby of Saint Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church on East 166th Street in Morrisania on Wednesday night.
The crucifix was stolen while church services were in progress, according to authorities.
"It's the season of Christ's birth and you steal from a church? Shame on you," Morrisania resident Brian Phillips told CBS2.
Members of the church still can't believe someone could be so heartless.
"This is the way life is now. People just stealing everything just for money. It doesn't make sense doing it in a church," Carlos Abreu said.
The crucifix, worth $5,000, had been around as long as the church, since 1903.
Members of the congregation say the crucifix appeared a little wobbly just days before it disappeared, leading them to believe whoever took it spent quite a bit of time loosening it from the base before stealing it.
"It's sad because we are in the church. We are in the house of the lord, we shouldn't be doing these things because we're all here together. This is just a community," Aida Zurz said.
There are no security cameras in the area of the church where the crucifix was stolen and it's so large that members of the church are hoping someone must have seen something that could help investigators crack the case.
The church has no immediate plans to replace the crucifix and parishioners say it would be hard to sell, and it is worth much more to the congregation.
Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477). You can also submit a tip by logging onto Crime Stoppers website or text a tip to CRIMES (274637), then enter TIP577.
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