NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – A woman destroyed a pair of decades-old religious statues at a church in Queens this weekend, police said Sunday as they released surveillance video of the suspect.
The 84-year-old statues of the Blessed Mother and St. Therese the Little Flower were outside Our Lady of Mercy on Kessel Street in Forest Hills.
Diocese of Brooklyn spokesman John Quaglione told 1010 WINS that this wasn’t the first time the woman attempted to break the statues. He said she was caught on camera this past week toppling them over. In her most recent attempt early Saturday morning, she brought a hammer with her, he said.
Surveillance video from the NYPD shows the woman, believed to be in her mid-20s, pulling the statues down and then smashing them and dragging them into the street around 3:30 a.m.
Quaglione said signs have since been placed on the broken statues that read, “Please pray for the person who did this.”
“While the community is upset that their church is the most recent target of attacks on the Catholic Church, they are understanding that maybe this person is mentally ill, or mentally disturbed, or has a gripe with the church, or something going on in their life, and they’re looking to blame God,” he said.
The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating the vandalism.
“We should be able to practice and worship and be who we are,” Quaglione said. “Whatever land we came from, whatever god we believe in, that’s the whole purpose of America is that here is where you should be able to come and be who you are and believe in what you want and be allowed to do that safely.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
