Flushing man criminally charged with stealing holy Torah from Far Rockaway religious school in May: DA – QNS
A Flushing man who allegedly stole a safe containing a Torah scroll from a Far Rockaway yeshiva was arraigned in Queens Supreme Court on Monday. His accomplice, pictured here, remains at large.
Photo courtesy of NYPD
A Flushing man was indicted by a Queens grand jury for stealing a Torah scroll from a Far Rockaway yeshiva in May.
Saul Colon, 37, of Parsons Boulevard, was arraigned Monday in Queens Supreme Court on charges of grand theft and burglary for stealing a safe containing a sacred scroll used for public readings during services on Sabbaths, Mondays, Thursdays and religious holidays.
According to the indictment, video surveillance shows Colon and another man, who is still at large, getting out of a dark-colored Ford Taurus in front of Siach Yitzchok, a religious school at 1045 Beach 9th St. in Far Rockaway, around 2:30 a.m. on May 7. The two men used a hand truck to remove a locked safe from the school office, then loaded it into their car and drove away.
Several hours later, a school administrator discovered that the safe containing the Torah scroll was missing and called the New York Police Department. After a comprehensive investigationColon was arrested and told investigators that he and his accomplice opened the safe and, when they saw there was no cash inside, left it in a wooded area near the Van Wyck Expressway in Kew Gardens Hills.
Detectives from the Queens Major Case Squad found the stolen safe across from 67-05 Park Dr., near the eastern edge of Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The water-damaged Torah sefer was found in the safe and returned to the family who originally donated the Torah to the school.
“This defendant and an accomplice are alleged to have broken into a religious school and acted with profound disrespect to the Jewish community by stealing a sacred Torah scroll,” said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. “To the yeshiva, this Torah was priceless and could never be replaced.”
The Sefer Torah is being cared for by the Rockaway Nassau Safety Patrol. Ten pieces were damaged and are being repaired by Rabbi Gedeliah Oppen.
“My office and the NYPD never gave up on this case, and several months later, we arrested one of the suspects and were able to recover the Torah,” Katz said. “The investigation is ongoing, and we ask anyone with information on the second suspect to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS.”
Queens Supreme Court Judge Karen Gopee ordered Colon to appear in court on September 19. If convicted, Colon faces up to 15 years in prison.
