Man, 64, arrested for stealing $5,000 church painting
NEW YORK (FOX5NY) - The NYPD says it has arrested the man who stole a painting from a Church in Washington Heights. The painting hung in the church's entryway for the last 20 years.
Washington Dominguez, 64, has been charged with burglary after stealing the painting from Saint Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church in Washington Heights, according to police.
The video shows the 5-feet, 3-inch slender elderly man with a cane hobbling into the church last Sunday afternoon. He blesses himself and then commits a sin by stealing a painting of the church's patron saint.
The painting is valued at $5,000.
Father Evagros Constantinides presides over the church, which is always open on Sunday afternoons. He believes the approximately 65-year-old man knew exactly what he wanted when he grabbed the painting, concealed it with his jacket, and then walked out a little faster than he walked in.
The suspect may be older but he is also very bold. Parishioners were only 20 feet away from where he stole the painting.