Police arrest church thief

Jayson Bianco, 37, was arrested for petit larceny and two burglaries that occurred in Franklin Square and West Hempstead over the past two weeks.

According to the Nassau County Police Department’s 5th Precinct detectives, on June 4, at 7:10 a.m., Bianco asked a female who was attending a funeral mass at the St. Catherine of Sienna church, at 33 New Hyde Park Rd. in Franklin Square, for money. After the woman handed him $10, she entered the church with her children, and sat down. Bianco followed her, sat in the pew behind her, and when she wasn’t looking, took her cell phone from her pocketbook, which was placed on the pew.

A man in the church, who recognized Bianco, called police, and Bianco was arrested in the parking lot of St. Catherine. At the time of his arrest, Bianco was in possession of the stolen cell phone.

On June 3, Bianco entered St. Catherine by prying open and damaging the church’s doors, and stole an undetermined amount of money from two poor boxes. A church volunteer realized that the money had been taken on June 3, after discovering one of the doors ajar, and observing several doors with pry marks on them.
Bianco didn’t just hit the Franklin Square church.

Prior to the St. Catherine crimes, Bianco entered the St. Thomas Apostle Church, at 24 Westminster Rd. in West Hempstead, by breaking a door window, and removed money from three poor boxes.

On June 8, Bianco was arraigned in Hempstead’s First District Court. He is being charged with petit larceny and two counts of third-degree burglary.