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A “lone ranger” thief barged into a Midtown Catholic church Wednesday and stole a $3,000 gold-plated rose from a memorial honoring the lives lost on 9/11 in a brazen “act of desecration,” according to cops and the pastor of the parish.
The suspect walked into the Church of St. Francis of Assisi on West 31st Street near Seventh Avenue around 2:30 p.m. and grabbed the rose – created out of the steel from Ground Zero – a cherished part of the 9/11 Memorial Shrine, according to authorities and the Rev. Brian Jordan.
“This was not only a robbery, as far as I’m concerned, it’s an act of desecration,” Jordan said.
The church’s memorial shrine is meant to honor all lives lost on 9/11 – especially the Rev. Mychal Judge, who then served as St. Francis’ pastor as well as the FDNY Chaplain.
Carol LaPlante, who volunteered as an artwork designer for the church, also lost her life during the terrorist attacks, Jordan said.
The stolen rose was a symbol of hope for both parishioners and visitors at the church, he said.
“In other words, triumph over evil,” Jordan said. “The rose of hope [is] greater than the evil of destruction.”
Video released by the NYPD shows the suspect walking on the sidewalk, casually holding the stolen rose.
He was still on the loose Thursday evening.
Jordan described the suspect as around 21 years old, a “troubled man” who had twice been asked to leave by the church’s security guard.
“We’ve seen him a number of times – he’s like a lone ranger, lone wolf,” the pastor said. “Had he asked for help, I would help him…He just shied away from any type of contact.”
But Jordan said he does not want to see the alleged thief “wallowing in the jail cell,” because “that’s not going to help him.”
“I hope and pray that this troubled man turns himself in to the police and he gets the proper psychiatric care that he needs,” the priest said. “I want this man, after he’s arrested, not going to jail but going to a psychiatric center to get some help, to get a second chance at life.”
“He’s young,” Jordan added. “We don’t want to have another casualty of our society. We want him to go for rehabilitation, and straighten out his life.”
Meanwhile, Jordan blessed the memorial with holy water Thursday afternoon “as a sign of purification.”
“It’s a wake up call for the city,” Jordan said. “You know the term, ‘There’s nothing sacred anymore?’ It should be. It’s a wake-up call that we have to put more resources into helping people with mental health problems.”
“We have a revolving door with Rikers Island,” he added. “I want him to get help. I want the city to invest in him. I believe in the God of perpetual second chances.”
Anyone with information on the suspect is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, on X @NYPDTips.
