Police in Tennessee are investigating after someone intentionally set fire to a trailer full of Bibles outside a church on Easter Sunday.
The incident happened outside Global Vision Bible Church in Mount Juliet, about 20 miles east of Nashville. According to the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office, a trailer full of Bibles was "dropped off" at an intersection blocking the church entrance and "intentionally set on fire."
Fire crews responded to the scene and quickly extinguished the blaze. No injuries were reported.
The sheriff's office declined to provide additional details, saying it wanted to "uphold the integrity of the ongoing investigation."
The church's pastor, Greg Locke, said the church's security cameras captured a man dropping off the trailer and lighting it on fire.
"There was a lady that had driven through the night to get to our church, and she was in the parking lot and was able to get the police officers here quickly, but it was quite the scene," Locke wrote in a statement on Facebook.
Locke also posted a photo of the charred trailer with dozens of burned Bibles. The church declined to share the security footage with local media, saying they didn't want to compromise the investigation.
"I think they knew that we were going to have an extra barrage of people that are going to be here visiting from all over the country, and so it blocked the main entrance to the church, and so it was unfortunate," Locke told WKNR. "You know, we get a lot of push back. We get a lot of hate for some of our religious and political stands, but to see the Bible disrespected that way was a little unfortunate."
Authorities are reportedly investigating whether the incident was a bias-motivated hate crime.
The incident happened around 6 a.m. Sunday and did not disrupt Easter services.