Police investigate Northeast Philadelphia church break-ins

NORTHEAST PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) - Police say they are investigating Northeast Philadelphia church break-ins. According to police, thieves have struck seven times.

Reverend Saju Chacko says his church is a forgiving church, but the congregation was in shock when they discovered their house of worship had been broken into and burglarized last weekend.

"On Friday night, some thieves come and stole some copper pipes in our heating system and also they damaged our office rooms," the reverend told FOX 29 Tuesday night. "We forgive them in the name of Jesus".

Thieves ransacked parts of another church and stole copper piping in the basement. The church is one of seven police say have been broken into in the past few weeks. A burglary crew with no conscience at all.

"The one the other day they left the water running for almost 24 hours.Church parishioners came back and found a flooded basement, "Northeast Detectives Lt. Dennis Rosenbaum said.

At the Crescentville United Methodist Church on Sentner Street, burglars took copper piping, an air conditioning unit and a safe containing $6,000 in cash. the burglars hit Our Lady of Ransom on the boulevard twice, stealing money from the poor boxes.

"They like to hit those poor boxes and that money is for poor people.They're basically stealing from the poor," Lt. Rosenbaum said.

Sabrina Miller lives right across the street from the Oxford Circle Baptist Church on Loretto Street. Burglars busted in there and stole four big screen TVs from the Christian school there.

"Any of these churches, if they would knock on the door and ask for some help , the church and parishioners would be glad to help them," the lieutenant said.

"They come and talk to us straight, they are poor, surely we'd help them," Reverend Chacko added.

Police recovered surveillance video from one of the churches. They believe the thieves could also be using a vehicle. Several churches got burglarized on the same night.