A Torah scroll worth $50,000 that was stolen several months ago from a yeshiva in Queens, New York has been returned to its owner, the New York Post reported.
Saul Colon, 37, was arrested and indicted for the May 7 burglary and theft at the Siach Yitzchok day school in Far Rockaway. An unknown accomplice of Colon's remains at large.
The pair removed a safe containing the scroll from the premises and drove away.
Colon was eventually found and arrested following an investigation. He then directed police to the location where he had stashed the safe and the scroll.
The scroll suffered minor water damage, police said.
Colon was charged with grand larceny in the second degree, burglary in the third degree and grand larceny in the fourth degree. He faces between 7.5 and 15 years in prison if convicted.
“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,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement. “For the yeshiva, this Torah was priceless and could never be replaced,” Katz said. “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.”