Authorities from the New York Police Department are currently probing an incident involving the desecration of a Virgin Mary statue outside St. Rita Roman Catholic Church located in Long Island City. This act is being viewed as a potential hate crime after an individual scaled a fence and proceeded to demolish the statue with a hammer.
Footage released by the Diocese of Brooklyn shows the suspect, wearing a mask, aggressively attacking the statue outside the church. Catholic officials have pointed out that this act is part of a troubling pattern of assaults that have besieged the parish.
The vandalized Virgin Mary statue stands on the premises of St. Rita Roman Catholic Church in Long Island City (St. Rita’s Church)
Church representatives revealed in a statement that the recent act of vandalism is the fourth to occur at this parish since 2024. The NYPD is actively investigating this episode under the possibility that it’s a hate crime.
As per the Diocese of Brooklyn, the event transpired at approximately 1:42 a.m. on August 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 fourth vandalism incident 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 damage done to a statue of St. Jude inside the church.
The Diocese of Brooklyn told News Media 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.