Police on Long Island are looking for a man who pried open a church donation box and stole more than $100 last month in what priests say has become an occurrence so common they’ve installed security cameras.
The man stole from St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church on East Main Street in Smithtown during the afternoon on Oct. 10, according to the Suffolk County Police.
The man was caught on surveillance cameras sitting in a church pew. In another image, the man can be seen kneeling by the box to steal from it.
Officials at the church said it was the fifth time in recent months thieves have hit their donation boxes. They estimate that thousands of dollars may have been taken.
Suffolk police describe the thefts as “crime of opportunity.”
Anyone with information about the thefts is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.
