Serial Burglar Identified After Yesterday’s Shul Break-In and Subway Standoff

By Y.M. Lowy

An early-morning shul break-in in Boro Park is now clearer after police confirmed the suspect is a career burglar with a long history of synagogue thefts.

As reported by BoroPark24 yesterday, Shomrim responded around 3:00 a.m. after a man broke into a local shul, grabbed valuables, and fled. Shomrim volunteers quickly picked up his direction and traced him to the New Utrecht Avenue train platform, where he jumped onto the tracks and sparked a nearly two-hour standoff before ESU officers pulled him out safely.

Officials have now identified the suspect as 55-year-old Arthur Jack, a repeat thief with 17 prior arrests. Police say he slipped into Bobov Shul around 4:45 a.m. and stole $285 from a locked pushka. Witnesses who were inside the shul at the time followed him for more than half a mile, helping Shomrim track his every move until the NYPD took over. 

The escape attempt ended on the D-line tracks at 50th Street, where officers took him into custody. He is now facing charges including burglary, criminal trespass, and possession of stolen property, marking his 18th arrest.

Police records show that Jack has a long history of targeting Jewish institutions. In 2012, he broke into a Flatbush shul and stole bottles of vodka and scotch, and that same year, he was arrested for a string of Brooklyn burglaries. He then served ten years at Fishkill Correctional Facility before his release in 2023.