NYC crook tries to grab $100K Cathedral of St. John the Divine statue

An infernal thief tried to walk out of Manhattan’s famed Cathedral of St. John the Divine with a $100,000 religious statue, police said Sunday.

The crook showed up at the landmark Episcopal church on Amsterdam Ave. at W. 112th St. dressed all in black about 8:30 p.m. Dec. 3, according to cops. But he didn’t have much of a plan to pull off the unholy heist.

He started to lift one of the cathedral’s statues, worth at least $100,000 but when he spotted security staff he ran off empty handed, police said.

The church, which can hold 5,000 worshipers and is touted as the world’s largest Gothic cathedral, is famed for its annual Procession of Animals.

It was ravaged by fire in 2001 and damaged again in a 2019 blaze. In December 2020, police shot and killed an apparently suicidal double-pistol waving gunman on the cathedral steps.

Cops released surveillance footage of the crook in action and asked the public’s help identifying him and tracking him down. He is describes as between 45 and 50, about 5-foot-10 and 220 pounds with a light complexion.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.