A sixth Bronx church was burglarized this past weekend, the latest in a string of break-ins targeting churches in the area since the start of November.

Someone broke into an office window at the Church of the Mediator, on West 231st Street and Kingsbridge Avenue, late Saturday night or early Sunday morning, according to the church’s senior warden Frank Holsapple and the NYPD.

The thief, or thieves, made off with several recently donated laptop computers and about $800 in cash, money the church was collecting for a Christmas toy drive.

“They hit every church around here, and I guess we were the last stop,” Holsapple said, adding that the burglar or burglars wrecked the office they broke into but were unable to access the rest of the church.”It could have been a lot worse,” he added.

A police spokeswoman said they have no description of the perpetrators so far, and the investigation is ongoing.
Other churches that have been hit since early November include

Our Lady of Refuge on 194th Street and Briggs Avenue, St. Ann’s Church on Bainbridge Avenue, Kingsbridge Evangelical Lutheran Church on Bailey Avenue, St. John’s Church on Kingsbridge Avenue, and Our Lady of Angels on Claflin Avenue.

“We’re still edgy,” said Father Antonio Zabala of St. John’s Church. “They were able to break in through the window even though it has bars on it. These robbers are really professional crooks, and are really dangerous.”

Church leaders say one silver lining has been the public’s response to news of the burglaries.

“It’s been overwhelming,” said Father John Jenik of Our Lady of Refuge Church, which lost two laptops, a video camera and $1,300 in cash. “We’ve gotten four laptop computers and over $15,000 in donations,” he said.

Jenik says the parish will use the money towards repairing damages from the burglary and for tuition assistance, and to invest in a new alarm system for the church.

UPDATE (Dec. 21): Police arrested a man for allegedly breaking into St. Philip Neri Church on the Grand Concourse Sunday morning. Nathaniel Linden, 51, who lives on Webb Avenue and has spent the past two decades in and out of prison on burglary charges, according to the New York Times, is also being charged with the burglary of Iglesia Bautista Hispana de Fordham on University Avenue on Dec. 13. Police are looking to connect him to other church burglaries.