Hallelujah!
A Baby Jesus statue kidnapped outside a Long Island government building has been returned, police said.
“The Baby Jesus statue that was reported stolen from a Nativity scene … has been returned,” Suffolk County police said in a statement on X Saturday.
They also posted a picture of the Nativity scene with Baby Jesus in the manger between statues of Joseph and Mary.
A Baby Jesus figure was abducted from the nativity scene outside the H. Lee Dennison Building in Hauppauge some time between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day, according to police.
Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine and the county’s top cop, Kevin Catalina, both pleaded for the statue’s return during a Friday press conference — and offered forgiveness to the sinner who took it.
“To steal the Baby Jesus during Christmas, that’s not a cool thing to do … because that is definitely not in the spirit of Christmas,” Romaine said.
Whoever returned the statue would not be questioned, detained, arrested or charged with any crimes so long as he returned the statue, Romain assured.
“If they bring him back to the building — we will just accept it — no questions asked,” he said.
Catalina had vowed to throw the good book at whoever nabbed the statue if they didn’t come forward voluntarily. He said he was investigating whether it could be charged as an anti-Christian hate crime.
“[The theft] is an affront to Christianity,” he said.
Police searched for the figure since its theft was discovered Thursday, and even used dogs in their search, News 12 reported.
Suffolk PD thanked the public for its “assistance and cooperation” in the case.
