Rev. Pat Close Said a Prayer for Suspects He Helped Collar, After Saying a Few Expletives

The Rev. Pat Close said he was more upset that two homeless men lied to him than stole from him after he helped nab them for allegedly stealing copper downspouts and air-conditioner tubing from Grace Episcopal Church.

"It makes me angry and upset," said Close, the Grace Church pastor. "I think it's real sad. I put both of the guys in our prayers, asking for forgiveness, hoping they'll be able to find a better path in their life because this current path isn't the answer."

But before he said prayers, Close admitted mumbling "a few expletives." He then called the police, gave them a description and probably said a few more prayers.

Then, some may say miraculously, the two suspects were collared the next day allegedly trying to skip a PATCO Hi-Speedline fare in Camden.

Cpl. Stu Holloway, a Haddonfield Police officer with his own notable cases this year, took the initial report and helped make the arrest. He tracked them down on Wednesday after monitoring police radio chat and hearing PATCO police had nabbed two men who matched the description Close gave.

Anthony Marchione Jr. and Patrick Duross-Malloy were both charged with theft and criminal mischief after being questioned, police said. Marchione, 34, was processed and housed in the Camden County jail on a $1,000 full-cash bail. Patrick Duross-Malloy, 27, was processed and housed in the Gloucester County Correctional Facility on unrelated charges.

Both were listed as "homeless." The PATCO train station and parking lot is directly behind the Kings Highway East church.

"I had seen these guys earlier in the day on the side of a church building and went out to ask them what they were doing," Close said. "They told me they were visiting some girls in the area but they were homeless and had slept near some bushes behind the church and had come back to get their blankets.

"After 30 years in the ministry you can pretty much read people," he said. "I knew something wasn't right."

That was Tuesday morning, around 10:30. Later that evening, Close was leaving to go to a meeting when he noticed the rain that was falling was pouring through a gutter with no downspout to funnel it.

"It was brazen," Close said. "They did it during the day."

Later, he discovered copper tubing had been ripped out of an air conditioner on the side of the building he spotted the suspects on.

Close said the church will now likely have to erect a chain-linked cage around the one air-conditioning unit it didn't already have caged. He said Grace Church has been hit by copper thieves before, and had taken precautions but still wasn't safe.

"It's an expense to us, it's a problem," he said.

Close said these suspects won't likely make their way into his sermon this week, but may at another time.

"We will pray for these individuals to turn around," he said.

They'll likely need it.

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