Man Threatens To Kill Nun As She Prays At Brooklyn Church: Police

PROSPECT HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — A man walked into a church in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, on Wednesday and threatened to kill a nun as she was praying there, authorities said.

The 49-year-old woman was praying inside of Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, on Pacific Street between Vanderbilt and Underhill avenues, when she was approached by the man, who wasn't wearing a shirt, according to police.

The man told the woman, "I don't believe in this because you don't help poor people," police said, and she tried to ignore him. He told her to repeat what he had just said, according to police.

The woman did, police said, and then the man said, "I will kill you." Then the man ran away, westbound on Pacific Street, according to police.

"I started to scream help me! Help me! Help me!" the nun, Maria Amador, told the New York Daily News. "I thought, maybe this is my last day... in that moment, I thought something very dangerous is happening."

She told PIX11 that she forgives the man.

"I forgive him and he's my brother we belong to the same world," she told the TV station. "We belong to the same church I pray for him and I forgive him."

The man is described by police as approximately 6 feet 2 inches tall, 200 pounds, with a medium complexion and a bald head. He was last seen shirtless and wearing khaki shorts.

The NYPD's Hate Crimes task force is investigating the incident.

You can see surveillance video of the man in the church below:

Here's how anyone with information can report it to police:

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.

Image via NYPD