NEW YORK (AP) — Police say someone busted into the altar at a New York City church, stole a $2 million gold relic and removed the head from a statue of an angel.
The incident happened between Thursday and Saturday at St. Augustine’s Roman Catholic Church, known as the “Notre Dame” of Brooklyn’s Park Slope neighborhood.
The church was closed for construction at the time.
The church's pastor said that camera recordings from the security system were also stolen.
The Diocese of Brooklyn called it “a brazen crime of disrespect and hate.”
A tabernacle dating back to the 1890s was stolen.
It was made with 18-carat gold and decorated with jewels. Putting its value at $2 million.
The diocese says the tabernacle is irreplaceable.
The pastor of the church believes the burglar went to great lengths to cut into a security system and then cut through a metal protective casing.
Parishioners believe it was someone with inside knowledge who committed the crime.
