Queens Houses of Worship Sacked For Cash By Hollis Burglar

St. Jared Majella Church. Image via Google Maps.

By Jonathan Sperling

A Hollis burglar was busted for pilfering several Queens houses of worship — and a Subway sandwich shop — for cash, police announced on Thursday.

Satesh Baljit, 23, struck at a mosque, church and Subway sandwich store located throughout Hollis and Jamaica, breaking in and stealing money from collection boxes and causing damage in the process, cops said.

Baljit allegedly began his spree on April 22, 2018 at around 7:30 a.m. by breaking the front glass window of a Hollis Subway sandwich store on Jamaica Avenue, entering the establishment and removing over $150 cash and around 36 soda bottles.

In a second hit on Jan. 18, 2019, Baljit entered the NYC Muslim Center Mosque on 191st Street at around 4 p.m. and removed around $1,900 cash from collection/donation boxes.

Less than a week later, on Jan. 24, Baljit robbed another house of worship — this time St. Jared Majella Church on 91st Avenue. At around 7:30 p.m., Baljit entered the church and tampered with its safes/collections boxes, causing damage and stealing around $90 cash, before fleeing.

In his last alleged crime, on Jan. 31, Baljit again entered the NYC Muslim Center Mosque and “remained unlawfully” inside the location. He was identified via surveillance video.

Baljit was arrested following the Jan. 31 incident and hit with a slew of charges, including criminal trespass, possession of burglar tools, criminal possession of a weapon, grand larceny and burglary.