A string of church thefts in Fall River has come to an end with the arrest of 36-year-old Joseph Costa, as announced in a recent release by the City of Fall River Police Department. The chase concluded with Costa's apprehension on Tuesday evening, after an attempt to infiltrate Holy Name Church on Hanover Street prompted a swift police response. A church staff member reportedly caught sight of a man, fitting Costa’s description, hastily exiting the building as alarms blared. The suspect managed to initially evade capture, fleeing on foot towards President Avenue.
Initial inspection by the responding officers saw no forced entry, with doors and windows intact, and nothing seemingly amiss inside the church. The incident marked the third in a series of break-ins at Holy Name Church; previous entries on July 6 and June 22 resulted in the theft of significant sums of donated funds totaling $7,300. In a separate theft on March 28th at Saint Anthony of the Desert Church, Costa allegedly made off with a set of church keys and was accused of pilfering a small amount of cash.
Detectives, piecing together the puzzle through neighborhood security footage and information from on-site witnesses, identified the perpetrator. City of Fall River Police Department's post detailed the investigation, revealing security camera images that captured Costa moving towards the church premises, and then subsequently leaving with a plastic bag similar to those used by the church to stow away offerings.
Costa’s arrest was the culmination of a thorough investigation by the Fall River Police Department, which spanned months of surveillance review and witness interviews. "Our Crime Scene Unit ensured detailed collection and photographic evidence, while detectives conducted extensive canvassing," the City of Fall River Police Department stated, illustrating an extensive operation that extended beyond the actions of the culprit. They underscored the importance of community cooperation, citing local resident's assistance as a contributing factor to Costa's eventual capture. The collaboration resulted in charges against Costa including three counts of breaking and entering a building in the daytime for a felony and two counts of larceny over $1,200.
