A property owned by the First Presbyterian Church on East Hanover Street was burglarized and looted this week, church officials said today.
TRENTON — A property owned by the First Presbyterian Church on East Hanover Street was burglarized and looted this week, church officials said today.
The church, located on East State Street, owns an adjacent row of houses on East Hanover Street that are currently unoccupied, the Rev. John Allen said.
Thursday evening church officials saw that a door to one of the properties was open and upon entering the property found that someone had broken in, Allen said. The burglars cut holes in the walls and floors, removed the plumbing, and dismantled the air conditioning and heating systems, he said.
“They had tools; this was a professional operation,” Allen said.
The extent of the damage to the building is unknown, he said.
The church reported the incident to the police, but has not heard about any breaks in the investigation so far, Allen said. Police were not available for comment tonight.
The buildings, which do not have surveillance equipment, have been used to house the Crisis Ministry and day-care programs in the past, but are not currently in use, he said. Allen guesses that the burglary happened Wednesday night.
“Folks are walking by here during the day and you would notice,” he said.
The church has suffered from multiple burglaries in recent years, Allen said.
“Two years ago, someone came and sawed the railings off and took the gutters off,” he said.
Contact Brendan McGrath at (609) 989-5731 or bmcgrath@njtimes.com.
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