‘People come here for peace’: NJ Buddhist temple faces string of burglaries

September 1, 2022

A Buddhist temple in New Jersey has been burglarized for the second time in three months.

Alexander Khan, the director of Preah Buddha Rangsey Buddhist Temple in Voorhees Township, said the burglary caught on surveillance cameras happened at around 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

The suspect can reportedly be seen in the surveillance footage entering the sanctuary and searching through personal items before stealing a few hundred dollars from a monk and an immigrant family.

“$100 is a lot from someone coming from Cambodia, going back to Cambodia people live off of a cup of rice,” Khan told Fox 29.

The Voorhees Police Department confirmed that the male suspect was arrested on-site. He has been charged with burglary and theft. Other information on the suspect has yet to be released.

“When I heard the terrible news, my first thing is worry about safety of all the monks here,” Muni, the temple’s chief monk, said. “I believe they feel a little bit scared. People come here for peace and to do good deeds.”

Khan believes that the suspect was part of the same group that previously targeted their temple. Last spring, their head monk tackled a thief who allegedly attempted to steal $12,000.

“They knew the landscape of the property like they were in there before,” Khan told Fox 29.

It is not clear whether the Voorhees police are still investigating the case and searching for other suspects.

Featured Image via Fox 29

Share this Article