Man charged with burglary after Paterson church ransacked

Joe Malinconico
·1 min read

PATERSON — A 41-year-old city man was arrested on Sunday charged with burglary and other crimes in connection with last week’s break-in at New Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Paterson, police said.

“Our congregation is very grateful and very happy,” said New Shiloh’s pastor, Bishop D’Andra Johnson. “We are praying for him and we hope he gets the help he needs,” the pastor added, speaking of the burglary suspect.

The sound system and television set that were stolen during the burglary were not recovered, Johnson said. But churches from Paterson and other New Jersey cities, including Plainfield and Newark, have rallied behind New Shiloh with donations to help fix the damage from the crime, the pastor said.

Someone broke into Paterson’s New Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church this week and stole copper from the basement, the bathroom, the sanctuary, the sound system, and even the organ, according to the pastor.
Someone broke into Paterson’s New Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church this week and stole copper from the basement, the bathroom, the sanctuary, the sound system, and even the organ, according to the pastor.

The crime happened on June 19 during daylight hours. Johnson said security camera footage showed the burglar checking the church building at the corner of Broadway and Straight Street for a while before he broke through a basement window to get inside.

Police said the suspect then busted pipes and a wall to gain access to the church’s first floor, where he allegedly took copper from various locations, including the sanctuary and the organ.

The crime resonated among city community leaders who said the break-in at a church reflected the level of desperation in Paterson.

Someone broke into Paterson’s New Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church this week and stole copper from the basement, the bathroom, the sanctuary, the sound system, and even the organ, according to the pastor.
Someone broke into Paterson’s New Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church this week and stole copper from the basement, the bathroom, the sanctuary, the sound system, and even the organ, according to the pastor.

Police said officers on Sunday got a call about a fight at the corner of Broadway and Summer Street, two blocks from New Shiloh. Authorities said they used accounts from the assault victims as well as footage from the surveillance cameras to connect the brawler with the church crime.

The suspect is being held at the Bergen County Jail, pending the outcome of a detention hearing scheduled for Thursday, Paterson police said.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Man charged with burglary after Paterson church ransacked