Thieves dress as Haredi Jews — but disguises keep failing

A 29-year-old illegal resident from the Palestinian territories was arrested in Jerusalem's Gilo neighborhood after breaking into a home while dressed as a chareidi Jew (or at least trying to).

The suspect wore a black-and-white suit, a black Purim hat, and plastic peiyos glued to the sides of his face. Police found him carrying burglary tools and stolen property. The arrest took place on Friday night after residents called in reports of a suspicious man walking through the neighborhood, followed by a report of a break-in nearby. Officers from the Moriah station spotted him quickly - the disguise, police said, was not convincing.

It was the second arrest of its kind in a week. Days earlier, a driver was stopped at the A-Zaim checkpoint carrying six illegal passengers. The driver had grown out real peyos, wore a kippah and Haredi clothing, apparently hoping to avoid inspection by security forces. His vehicle turned out to be unregistered, with switched license plates.

Driver arrested at checkpoint dressed as a Haredi Jew (Photo: Israel Police)

The cases are part of a pattern. Last week, police in the Beit HaKerem neighborhood of Jerusalem caught two suspects in the middle of a car theft. One of them was wearing tzitzis as camouflage. The incident happened around 3:00 a.m. during a targeted patrol against vehicle theft. Officers noticed a car sitting in the dark with its lights off for an extended period and blocked it with their patrol vehicle. The front window had been smashed. The suspect in the driver's seat was wearing tzitzis; a second suspect sat beside him. A car computer used to hotwire the ignition was lying on the back seat. Both were arrested on the spot.

In some cases, the threat was more serious. Last year, a member of a minority community walked through the Ramat Shlomo neighborhood on Friday night dressed in full chareidi garb, suit and hat, and raised suspicion among residents. He was detained by locals, held in a shul until police arrived, and arrested. The suspect had come to the area of the Lomdei Torah (Heichal David) shul on Jaulti Street. Residents noticed that his hat was worn in an unusual way. It later emerged that the background was criminal and that he had come to commit a burglary. According to some reports, he was carrying a knife.

Witnesses said the suspect was caught because of his hat: the "clever" thief had removed the crease from all sides of the brim, which immediately gave him away.

On the surface, the incidents may seem absurd. But they carry real danger. Criminals disguised as chareidi Jews can move through frum neighborhoods and cause serious harm. So far, the disguises have been too poor to work, which is what led to the arrests. But residents are being urged to stay alert and report anything that seems off.