NYPD Says Two Arrested Stealing Superstorm Relief Supplies

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Police say two thieves have been arrested in New York City for stealing relief supplies intended for victims of Superstorm Sandy.

The Staten Island Advance reports that the two men were arrested Friday at the Christian Pentecostal Church on Staten Island. Police say the thieves were trying to load 35 cases of bottled water into a rented U-Haul.

Food stacked up in auditorium of the Islip Town Hall awaiting distribution to survivors of Hurricane Sandy. Photo b Ed Edahl/FEMA

The NYPD was staking out the church because church leaders have reported a rash of thefts of donations including blankets, cleaning supplies and diapers.

The church’s pastor, John Rocco Carlo, said the supplies are always stored in a locked parking lot. But he says the thieves have been hopping walls and finding other ways to get in.

Carlo says the burglaries began before Thanksgiving.