Bethel AME Church in Midtown Harrisburg is reeling from multiple break-ins this week, resulting in extensive damage and theft of copper pipes and wires. Church leaders estimate $180,000 in damage, threatening their Easter Sunday services. Police are investigating, and the church is exploring alternative service options.
Bethel AME Church in Midtown Harrisburg is facing significant challenges after multiple break-ins this week resulted in extensive damage and theft of copper pipes and wires, jeopardizing their Easter Sunday services.
$180,000 worth of damage Church leaders estimate that approximately $180,000 worth of damage needs to be repaired. Pipes were ripped out of the infrastructure in the church's basement, and an air conditioning unit was also chopped up and removed.With no working water, a broken heating system, and electric problems, church leaders say Easter Sunday services are in jeopardy.Bethel AME Senior Trustee Ray Burnett showed the damage in the basement, where nearly all the copper had been stolen.'We don't have any water. The heating unit doesn't work because those pipes were taken,' Burnett said.Suspects caught in the act Burnett said two people seen in surveillance video were caught in the act Thursday while he and others were assessing the damage discovered earlier in the week. The men fled and got away but left behind a wagon full of copper pipes and wires and a big mess. 'We're gonna trust God. We'll forgive them. But they need to be caught,' Burnett said.Harrisburg police were in the neighborhood Friday, asking residents if they saw anything that could help the investigation. One neighbor, Lisa Davenport, expressed her shock at the incident. 'I'm very shocked that they would even go into a church. It's the house of the Lord, so they gotta' be devils,' Davenport said.Harrisburg police did not have any formal updates on arrests or charges, but Burnett said they may still hold Easter church services online over Zoom unless they can find a new solution.
Church Theft Vandalism Break-In Easter Services
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