Police say a Torah was stolen from inside a car parked on Union Street Monday evening.

According to authorities, the Sefer Torah was being transported to a Brooklyn Heights synagogue, but was left in a car while the driver went inside his Crown Heights apartment. The driver and his family returned to the car to find the window shattered and the holy Jewish text missing.

Neighbors say there have been frequent car robberies in their area of late. The family transporting the Torah says the holy text is worth at least $45,000.

Most Sefer Torahs cost thousands of dollars because each one is handwritten on natural materials and takes at least a year to make. Some Torahs can cost upward of $80,000.