DUTCH KILLS — A masked thief broke into a Queens mosque after-hours and stole approximately $1,500 in donations and other cash, according to the NYPD.
Police said the suspect — who was seen on surveillance video wearing gloves, a hood and a mask covering the lower half of his or her face — entered the Islamic Center of Bosnia and Herzegovina on Crescent Street and 38th Avenue through a back door shortly before 9 p.m. Wednesday.
The thief then used a tool to pry open the donation box, and also forced open an office door to steal more cash from a desk drawer inside, according to police.
A member of the mosque, who identified himself as Senad A., said he arrived at the center early Thursday for morning prayers to find the imam's office had been broken into.
"The entire door and door frame was damaged," he said, adding that they're currently installing an alarm on the center's back door to prevent future thefts.
"Lesson learned," he added.
Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
