A Navy Hill church was burglarized three times in the span of a week, with burglars repeatedly forcing their way into the property and making off with a generator, church equipment, and other items, leaving its pastor so frustrated that he chose not to report the latest break-in discovered last Sunday, July 26.
Pastor Ferdinand Ngirmekur of Saipan Palau Evangelical Church said the first burglary was discovered last Tuesday, July 21, when members returned for a prayer service after everything appeared normal during worship last Sunday, July 19. He believes the break-in likely occurred sometime between Sunday and Monday. He reported the incident to the Department of Public Safety last July 21.
During the first burglary, thieves stole a generator donated by Samaritan's Purse, which Ngirmekur estimated was worth between $700 and $900. They also broke down and removed a door to gain entry.
According to Ngirmekur, the church was targeted again before members returned last Thursday, July 23. Intruders broke through the same door and another classroom used for Sunday school before taking storage containers, a church projector valued at about $300 to $400, several Samaritan's Purse shovels, and other personal belongings. A small freezer had been unplugged and moved near the doorway, leading him to believe the suspects intended to steal it but abandoned the effort, possibly after being interrupted. He reported the second burglary to police that afternoon.
The church was burglarized for a third time sometime after Ngirmekur checked the property last Saturday, July 25, and before worship services the following morning. When he arrived last Sunday, July 26, he found another forced entry. Missing were a wheelbarrow and an unassembled metal storage shelf.
Despite the latest theft, Ngirmekur said he did not contact police.
"I didn't report one yesterday. I'm done with the police."
Ngirmekur said he believes burglaries have become increasingly common on Saipan and hopes those responsible are brought to justice.
"I just hope and pray that these guys will get caught and, you know, they will, you know, and so we can put an end to this because, you know, my daughter also just told me that, you know, they called her last night that, you know, they break in their classroom in Dandan. So she has to go today and see what, what, what's missing in the classroom. So I don't know what's going on, you know, what is this, all these people going around stealing stuff."
He also questioned whether offenders still fear being arrested.
"These people are not scared anymore to do all these things. Like, you know, they're not scared to get caught. Maybe if they get caught, they're going to be released right after. And these things are not returning to us. And then they're just going to serve like a short time and then they go out on the street again and do the same thing."
Ngirmekur said the repeated break-ins have left him emotionally drained.
"The first time when they burglarized my church, I was really praying for them. I said, Lord, please keep these people sane so they can stop what they're doing and then repent from whatever sins that they're doing. But the second time when they did that, I went up to Grace Christian [Assembly] and told pastor Mike [Rodgers], I said, pastor, please pray for me because right now I didn't even pray for these people. I was so upset."
A few weeks earlier, Rodgers’ own church was also burglarized.
Marianas Press reached out to the Department of Public Safety for comment on the incidents and was awaiting a response as of press time.
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