233G B’klyn Torah burglary
A thief broke into a Brooklyn synagogue and swiped nearly a quartermillion dollars in sacred scrolls early Sunday.
The crook busted down the rear door to the Maase Rokach Congregation on 12th Avenue and 55th Street in Borough Park some time between 3 a.m. and 7:30 a.m., police said. The criminal made off with nine Torah scrolls valued at $233,000.
Someone at the synagogue noticed the Torahs were missing and called police around 11 a.m., according to cops.
Congregants had to wait outside while police investigated the break-in, but they knew something with a big price tag must have been missing, considering the commotion, one said.
“We were just watching it from outside, we haven’t been inside,” the shul-goer said. “I assume they were [valuable], otherwise there wouldn’t be all this noise.”
Another was shocked that such a crime could happen in the relatively quiet area.
“I don’t believe it . . . this doesn’t happen here,” the bewildered worshipper said.
Police believe that the thief acted alone and are continuing to investigate, officials said. Joe Marino and Daniel Prendergast