A 125-year-old golden crown was stolen from a statue of Mary inside a Philadelphia Catholic church by an agile thief seen climbing up the outside wall of the Center City church before breaking in, police said.
The theft occurred Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, shortly after 1 a.m. inside the St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church on South 13th Street, Philadelphia police said.
Investigators said someone broke into the church by smashing through a stained-glass window. Surveillance video released by police Monday shows the thief -- his face covered while wearing a black jacket, gray pants and red or pink sneakers -- scaling the outside of the historic church before getting inside.
Once inside, the burglar stole a golden crown from the head of the statue of Mary, police and church leaders said.
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“Our video – we have outside and inside cameras – showed the guy coming in,” St. John’s Associate Pastor John McCloskey told NBC10. “And he was in and out within 10 minutes. He was very agile and he knew exactly what he was doing.”
The crown was made of jewelry and gems that were donated by parishioners following a fire at the church around 1900.
The suspected thief was seen driving a gray Mitsubishi SUV with unknown tags, police said.
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If you spot the suspect, police suggest calling 911. If you have any information on the theft, please call Philadelphia Police Central Detectives at 215-686-3047/3048.
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