Montgomery County Police are asking for the public's help identifying two suspects caught on surveillance camera breaking into the historic Bethesda Meeting House, the 1850 church that gave the town of Bethesda its name. Investigators say the pair forced their way in through a back door, stole property from inside, and fled the scene.
The burglary happened at the church, located in the 9400 block of Rockville Pike, according to WJLA. The station reports that surveillance photos and video captured one suspect's face clearly, describing him as a teenage boy wearing a blue and gray D.C. United hoodie, black pants, and black sneakers. The second suspect, seen only from the clothing down, wore a gray hoodie, gray shorts, and black sneakers, with no clear image of his face.
Police have not disclosed what was stolen from the church or the value of the missing property, per the same report. By mid-October, investigators had updated the case to seek public help identifying the two suspects for burglary and theft, according to Montgomery County Police.
A Reward and a Tip Line
Crime Solvers of Montgomery County says anonymous tips providing information that leads to an arrest in the case may be eligible for a cash reward ranging from $250 up to $10,000, as reported by The MoCo Show. Anyone with information is asked to call 1-866-411-8477.
Under Maryland Criminal Law § 6-203, breaking and entering a non-residential structure such as a church with intent to commit theft is classified as second-degree burglary, a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison. The statute specifically applies to non-dwelling storehouses and places of worship, meaning the suspects could face serious felony exposure if identified and charged.
The Church That Named a Town
The Bethesda Meeting House is not just a place of worship but the historic landmark that gave the town its name. In 1871, the church's pastor persuaded the local postmaster at Darcy's Store to petition the U.S. Post Office Department to rename the surrounding area Bethesda after the church, according to Conduit Street. WJLA notes the church's own website states Abraham Lincoln is believed to have spoken or worshipped there.
The current wooden Greek Revival structure was built in 1850 atop the stone foundation of an 1820 Presbyterian church destroyed by fire in November 1849, according to the National Park Service. During the Civil War, in July 1864, Confederate cavalry forces occupied the building while taking part in a skirmish in what is now downtown Bethesda, per Patch's reporting on the site's history. The property, which includes the meeting house, a Victorian-era parsonage, and a cemetery, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
Restoration Efforts Underway
The church sat vacant and deteriorating after the death of its prior pastor in 2022 before the Bethesda Historical Society formed the nonprofit Bethesda Meeting House Foundation to purchase and restore it in January 2024, according to Patch. The break-in is an unwelcome setback for a preservation effort.
This is not the first burglary case to hit Bethesda's commercial and residential corridors in recent memory. Investigators are hoping public help, backed now by the Crime Solvers reward, will bring the two suspects in this case forward.
