Man charged for stealing safe containing a torah scroll from a Queens yeshiva

NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – A man was arraigned on Monday after allegedly breaking into a religious school in Queens and stealing a safe containing a torah scroll in May, according to prosecutors.

Saul Colon, 37, was arraigned on charges of grand larceny in the second degree, burglary in the third degree, and grand larceny in the fourth degree for stealing a safe from a Far Rockaway yeshiva, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced.

According to court documents, on May 7 at around 2:30 a.m., video surveillance captured Colon and an unidentified accomplice allegedly exiting a Ford Taurus at Siach Yitzchok. The two then allegedly used a hand truck to remove a locked safe from the school office, placed it in the car, and drove away.

A school administrator discovered the safe, which contained the torah, was missing several hours later and contacted the police. After an extensive investigation, the NYPD arrested Colon in August and found the safe in a wooded area in Kew Gardens Hills.

The torah scroll, which was inside the safe, was water-damaged but was returned to the family that had originally donated it to the school.

“This defendant and an accomplice allegedly broke into a religious school and showed profound disrespect for the Jewish community by stealing a sacred torah scroll,” Katz said. “For the yeshiva, this torah was priceless and could never be replaced. 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. This is an ongoing investigation, and we ask anyone with information about the second suspect to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS.”

If convicted, Colon faces a potential sentence of 7.5 to 15 years in prison. He is scheduled to return to court on Sept. 19.