Story by Ethan
On August 26th, 2024, charges against Saul Colon, 37, were announced by Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. Saul Colon was charged with second-degree Grand Larceny, third-degree Burglary, fourth-degree Grand Larceny.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz stated, “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. 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 any information about the second suspect to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS.”
According to the Queens District Attorney’s Office, at approximately 2:30 a.m., on May 7th, 2024, video surveillance captured Saul Colon and another unidentified accomplice outside of Temple Siach Yitzchok in a Ford Taurus. Siach Yitzchok is a religious school located at 1045 Beach 9th Street in Far Rockaway. Saul Colon and his accomplice used a hand truck to remove a locked safe from inside of the building. After loading the safe into the car, the defendant and accomplice fled the scene. Several hours later, a school admin discovered the missing safe containing the Torah. An investigation was launched by Detective James Essig, Jr. of the New York Police Department Major Case Squad Division that led to the identification of Saul Colon. The missing safe was also located and recovered in an area near the Van Wyck Expressway in Kew Gardens Hills. The Torah was returned to the family that donated it, however, it was damaged heavily by water.
The Queens District Attorney’s Office stated that the charges against Saul Colon are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
