January 13, 2025
Philadelphia Police/YouTube
Philadelphia Police are searching for a man who stole this crown from a statue of the Virgin Mary at St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church in Center City early Saturday morning.
Police are searching for a man who broke into a Center City church early Saturday morning and stole a golden crown from a statue of the Virgin Mary.
The man was caught on camera smashing a stained glass window and entering St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church at 21 S. 13th St. just after 1 a.m., police said.
"Our video — we have outside and inside cameras — showed the guy coming in," St. John's Associate Pastor John McCloskey told NBC10. "And he was in and out within 10 minutes. He was very agile and he knew exactly what he was doing."
Surveillance footage released Monday by police shows the man climbing the church's exterior. Police said they believe he drove a gray Mitsubishi SUV.
The crown is made of gold and is adorned with gems. It was created around 1900 by James E. Caldwell & Co to celebrate the reopening of the church after an 1899 fire completely destroyed its interior except for the marble Mary statue that the crown was later placed on, the Inquirer reported.
The stained glass window that was broken dates back to the church's reopening in 1902. It was made in Munich, Germany.
Anyone with information can call police at (215) 686-3093.
