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NYPD: Church vandal caught on video smashing Mother Mary statue
The NYPD is searching for a masked man who was caught on surveillance video vandalizing a church in Long Island City, Queens.
LONG ISLAND CITY - The NYPD is searching for a masked suspect seen on surveillance video vandalizing a church in Long Island City, Queens.
What we know:
Video shows the suspect jumping a fence into the courtyard of St. Rita's Roman Catholic Church on 11th Street, then taking a hammer from his pocket and smashing a Mother Mary statue.
The statue was knocked off its pedestal and broke during the incident just after 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 1, police said.
The suspect jumped back over the fence and fled the scene, police said.
Local perspective:
According to officials, this marked the fourth time since 2024 that St. Rita's Church was vandalized.
Other incidents included a 60-year-old stained-glass window being smashed, a statue of St. Francis of Assisi being defaced with graffiti, and a statue of St. Jude being damaged inside the church, officials said.
What's next:
The NYPD said it was investigating the latest incident as a possible hate crime.
Anyone with any information is urged to contact NYPD Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS.
The Source: This article is based on information from the NYPD and St. Rita's Roman Catholic Church.