Saddle Brook NJ police are investigating a break-in that occurred at a local church over Christmas weekend.

According to law enforcement officials, multiple suspects may have burglarized the St. Philip the Apostle Church located on Saddle River Road in Saddle Brook, New Jersey. The burglary occurred on Christmas Day, with priests and parishioners discovering the break-in when they showed up for mass on 7:00 a.m. the following morning. Visitors to the church noticed that a stained glass window had been broken by the burglars. It is believed that the suspects gained access to the church by breaking the stained glass window frame located near the church altar.

The Saddle Brook Police Department was notified of the break-in and dispatched police officers to the scene. Saddle Brook cops and members of the Bergen County Sheriff’s Bureau of Criminal Identification investigated the incident and determined that the suspects also committed theft offenses while inside the church.

According to authorities, the suspects smashed open two donation boxes for the St. Vincent de Paul Society and emptied the boxes of money. The St. Vincent de Paul Society is an anti-poverty organization, with donations going toward helping poor members of the congregation to pay their monthly bills. Fortunately, there was not much money in the donation boxes at the time of the theft because church officials typically remove the cash immediately after mass.

For additional information about this case, read the NJ.com article, “Christmas Break-In Hits Church Donation Boxes.”