Joseph Woznick, 23, was accused of burglarizing four houses of worship in Queens, N.Y., after he allegedly told police during his arrest on Tuesday that he stole from the churches because out of hatred at God.
“I don’t like church no more. I don’t want to deal with religion,” Woznick allegedly said. “I’m sick and tired of hearing about religion. I don’t break into houses, only churches. I break in to get back at God.”, he added.
The 23-year-old is accused of stealing from the Bangladesh Hindu Mandir Temple, Blessed Virgin Mary Help of Christians Church, St. Mary’s Romanian Orthodox Church, and St. James’ Episcopal Church between March and April, according to the local authorities in charge of the crime
His first break in was at the the Bangladesh Hindu Mandir on March 21, investigators said. An employee walked into the temple and found cash missing from three donation boxes which was then later found with fingerprints matching Woznick’s.
His second attempt was at St. James’ Episcopal Church, which he did three times from March 24 to April 10, investigators said. A priest found out that there were about $1,800 cash, a Canon digital camera, and three checks that were missing. Local police allegedly found two of the checks and a pawn shop receipt for the Canon camera in Woznick’s backpack at the time of his arrest.
He then burglarized two more churches within the area come April 10.
The members of the St. Mary’s Romanian Orthodox Church reported that a gold-plated drawer which was solely used for communion and the church’s corporate seal embosser were missing. Woznick was then seen at the Blessed Virgin Mary Help of Christians through a CCTV footage forcibly trying to open a donation box.
He received multiple counts, including burglary as a hate crime, grand larceny as a hate crime, criminal possession of stolen property, and criminal mischief.
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