He’ll burn in hell.
A thief swiped thousands of dollars in cash donations from a priest in Stuyvesant Town, cops said.
The sinner crept into the rectory of the Conception Church on East 14th Street around 3:15 p.m. Sunday, while Spanish mass was wrapping up and parishioners were gathering there for coffee, clergy said.
Msgr. Kevin Nelan said the suspect went down to the basement, where he encountered the church’s music director and claimed to be looking for his “Aunt Maria,” and the music director said no one named Maria visits the rectory.
He scurried off, and then bounded up the stairs to the second floor, where he tried several doors before going to the third floor, church officials said.
There, he entered Father Steven Okeke’s bedroom and snatched $11,000 from an envelope on the nightstand, according to police.
The priest is from Nigeria and raised the money to help a ministry at home.
Clergy wondered whether the thief had been informed there was a large stash of cash inside the rectory.
“I hope they catch him,” Nelan said. “I’m grateful no one was hurt.”
As for forgiveness, Nelan said that will come “when they catch him and he gets punished. Obviously, he’s done it before and he’ll do it again. My suspicion is that he’s well-practiced.”
The suspect wore a black baseball cap, brown shorts, white sneakers and a red t-shirt.