Crook impersonates priest, steals $900 from rectory bedroom at Queens church
A burglar posing as a visiting priest fleeced a real holy man of nearly $1,000 at a Queens church, police said Tuesday.
The thief targeted the 63-year-old priest at the American Martyrs Roman Catholic Church on Bell Blvd. near Union Turnpike in Hollis Hills around 12:20 p.m. Sunday, according to cops.
The crook told the victim he was also a man of the cloth visiting the church from another country.
The priest believed him and invited him into the rectory, where the conman stole $900 in cash from his bedroom.
The phony priest later took off in a dark-colored sedan southbound on Bell Blvd., police said.
Police on Tuesday released images of the thief in the hopes someone may recognize him. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS.
View more on New York Daily News