NEW JERSEY
NJ.com

Mark Mueller | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on October 14, 2015

A Roman Catholic priest under investigation for allegedly accepting more than $250,000 in cash and gifts from elderly parishioners at a Short Hills church has taken a leave of absence from his new parish while the criminal probe unfolds, his attorney said.

The Rev. Alex Orozco — now parochial vicar at the Church of the Nativity in Midland Park, Bergen County — is accused of lying to his former parishioners and taking advantage of their generosity by repeatedly sharing stories of financial distress, NJ Advance Media reported earlier this month.

The Archdiocese of Newark had previously said Orozco would remain in ministry while the investigation continued. On Tuesday, however, Orozco’s lawyer, Robert J. Degroot, said his client was stepping aside for an undetermined period of time.

“By mutuality, until all this stuff comes…