The New York Police Department (NYPD) is investigating the destruction of a Virgin Mary statue outside in Long Island City as a possible hate crime after a man climbed over a fence and repeatedly smashed it down using a hammer.
In surveillance video released by , the masked man violently hits the statue outside the church in what Catholic officials say is the latest in a string of attacks targeting the parish.
The Virgin Mary statue was vandalized outside St. Rita Roman Catholic Church in Long Island City (St. Rita’s Church)
In a press release, church officials said it is the fourth reported incident targeting the parish since 2024, and the New York City Police Department is investigating the latest vandalism as a possible hate crime.
According to the , the incident happened at around 1:42 a.m. Aug. 1.
The Diocese said in a statememt the attack was the fourth vandalism incident at St. Rita Roman Catholic Church since 2024. (St. Rita Roman Catholic Church)
The video shows the man, who is wearing a dark T-shirt and shorts, climb over the fence into a courtyard where a statue of the Blessed Mother stood.
The suspect removes a hammer from his pocket and repeatedly strikes the statue before knocking it off its pedestal. He then climbs back over the fence and walks away.
The Diocese said in a statement the attack was the at St. Rita Roman Catholic Church since 2024.
Surveillance video released by the church shows a masked man in a dark shirt and shorts jumping over a fence into a courtyard where a statue of the Blessed Mother stood. (St. Rita’s Church.)
Past acts of vandalism at the parish include the destruction of a 60-year-old stained-glass window and graffiti that defaced a statue of St. Francis of Assisi and the sidewalk.
There was also inside the church.
The Diocese of Brooklyn told Fox News Digital no arrests had been made.
“This week, the NYPD also issued a crime stats update and hate crimes are up by 9.4% over the same 7-month period (Jan-July) of last year,” John Quaglione, deputy press secretary for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn said.
Souce: https://www.foxnews.com/us/masked-man-caught-camera-smashing-virgin-mary-statue-outside-nyc-church-hammer