TIMES SQUARE — A group of teens were caught stealing money from a donation box at a Times Square church, where actors Chris Farley, Elaine Stritch and Alec Guinness once prayed, police said.
A 16-year-old boy, two 17-year-old boys and an 18-year-old boy went into St. Malachy’s Catholic Church at 239 W. 49th St., between Broadway and Eighth Avenue, around 1:40 p.m. on March 30 and “repeatedly removed” cash from the box without permission, the NYPD said.
The teens were arrested at some point after making off with the the donations, police said.
On Wednesday, Father Peter Colapietro — who took over as pastor at the parish known as the "Actors' Chapel" last year — estimated the boys had stolen more than $400 in cash.
Douglas Fairbanks married Joan Crawford in the chapel, according to St. Malachy's website. Jimmy Durante, Bob Hope, Florence Henderson, Don Ameche and Spencer Tracy once worshiped there.
The church keeps its doors open so those who work in the entertainment industry in the area — whether they’re performers, stagehands or carpenters — can drop by whenever they’d like, Colapietro said.
“We leave the church open because… we want to make sure people have the opportunity to come here,” he said. “It’s a little oasis in the Times Square area.”
“It’s the price you pay for doing that, for being available to people,” he said of the theft.
A spokeswoman for the Manhattan District Attorney’s office said the teens received desk appearance tickets for the thefts.
“I just feel badly about it, that they would do this, [but] I feel for them, that they feel the need to do this,” Colapietro said. "This church is a vulnerable target.”
