Dennis Almodovar and Daniel Morales allegedly walked into St. Mel Church in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens. When an usher questioned them, they told him they were there to repair the elevator.

But the usher took down the license plate number of their SUV, the New York Daily News reported. Morales later attempted to cover his tracks by reporting the vehicle stolen.

"We went to the church to steal money," Almodovar said in a statement after surrendering Wednesday. "We walked into a room with a dial and lever on the door. We took a black box."

Most of the money has been recovered. Police are trying to determine if Almodovar's stepbrother, who once worked as a caretaker at St. Mel's, was involved in the theft.