A statue of the Virgin Mary at the Saint Rita Roman Catholic Church in Queens, New York, was destroyed early Saturday morning by a man who was filmed vaulting over the church's fence and using a hammer to smash the religious icon.
The incident occurred just before 2 a.m. Saturday when a man, described as bearded and masked, entered the church's courtyard. Security footage shows him retrieving a hammer from his pocket and striking the statue. The Virgin Mary statue toppled over, with its head breaking off.
The suspect then scaled the fence again and fled the scene. The New York City Police Department is investigating the vandalism as a potential hate crime.
This is the fourth attack on the Saint Rita Roman Catholic Church since 2024, according to the Diocese of Brooklyn. Previous incidents include the smashing of a 60-year-old stained-glass window, the defacing of a statue of St. Francis of Assisi and the church's sidewalk with graffiti, and damage to a statue of St. Jude located inside the church. Last November, a picture of Saint Anthony was vandalized, and writing was scrawled on the floor.
John Quaglione, the deputy press secretary for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, noted that hate crimes in New York City have increased by 9.4 percent over the same seven-month period of last year. No arrests have been made in connection with the recent attack.
Parishioners expressed shock and dismay over the incident. Carmen González, a parishioner, stated that it is unsettling to not know who might commit such acts of damage. Another attendee, César Colindres, called the attacks "truly awful" and expressed regret over the grotesque manner in which the image of the Virgin Mary was attacked.
Local parishioner Margarita questioned the motivations behind such acts, suggesting they might be carried out by young people who do not believe in God or individuals struggling with addiction.