Church service (symbolic picture): A man is said to have tried to steal donations from a church in Kamionki
Photo: wideonet / Getty Images / iStockphotoIn Poland, a sporty priest is said to have thwarted a theft in his parish. Thanks to years of training as a marathon runner, the clergyman apparently succeeded in catching up with a thief who fled on foot with his prey.
The Archdiocese of Poznan published the recording of the surveillance camera on Facebook that captured the events on Tuesday in the Kamionki municipality near Poznan.
According to the archdiocese, parish priest Jakub Lechniak was in the chapel consecrated to Mother Teresa when he heard suspicious noises. Immediately afterwards, he discovered that the church donation box had disappeared and ran outside to see a man running away with the donation box.
Suspect apparently caught
The surveillance video from the entrance area and the area around the chapel initially shows how the alleged thief and another man enter the chapel. Shortly afterwards, one of the two men can be seen running out with the booty. A little later the priest comes into the picture, who follows with the big steps of an experienced athlete. Shortly afterwards you can see the priest returning with the donation box.
The thief, apparently surprised, dropped his prey, but did not get far without it. As a police spokesman for the dpa news agency said, a 25-year-old suspect could be quickly identified thanks to the pastor's precise description.
He is charged with at least four break-ins in churches in the area. According to the police, he immediately confessed. According to the church, the courageous pastor has been successfully participating in marathons in Poland and other European countries for several years.
Icon: The mirrorkko / dpa