A woman has been slipping into a church in the Bronx and stealing purses from other women attending services, police say.
It's happened twice so far at Saint Anthony Padua Church at 832 East 166th Street. In the most recent incident, on the morning of Sunday, Dec. 2, the thief took a 76-year-old churchgoer's purse from her seat while she was attending service inside, police said. The purse had credit cards, a cellphone and about $200.
The same suspect is believed to be behind a purse theft the morning of Sunday, Nov. 11. Police said in that case, the thief took a purse from beside a 42-year-old woman while she was attending services inside the church. The purse contained credit cards, $100 in cash and an EBT card.
The suspect is described as a woman in her 50s with long, brown hair, and last seen wearing a dark coat. She has been seeing seen carrying a brown purse on her right shoulder or a yellow bag across her chest.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at nypdcrimestoppers.com.
