Masked Man Smashes Virgin Mary Statue at NYC Church as NYPD Probes 4th Attack Since 2024
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 6
Masked Man Smashes Virgin Mary Statue at NYC Church as NYPD Probes 4th Attack Since 2024
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 6
Summary
Surveillance video shows a masked man using a hammer to smash a Virgin Mary statue outside St. Rita Roman Catholic Church in Long Island City at about 1:42 a.m. on Aug. 1.
NYPD is investigating the destruction as a possible hate crime after the suspect climbed a fence, repeatedly struck the statue, knocked it from its pedestal and walked away.
St. Rita officials said the incident is the parish's fourth reported vandalism attack since 2024, following damage to a 60-year-old stained-glass window, graffiti on a St. Francis statue and sidewalk, and damage to a St. Jude statue.
No arrests have been made, the Diocese of Brooklyn said, as it noted NYPD data showing hate crimes in New York City were up 9.4% in January-July from a year earlier.