Staten Island religious vandalism under investigation

STATEN ISLAND

One was at a church in Willowbrook, the other at a synagogue in New Springville.

A swastika and the words 'White Power' were scribbled on a gatepost outside Congregation Aviv Hadash.

Police are investigating it as a possible hate crime.

Just a few miles away, at the Holy Family Roman Catholic Church in Willowbrook, vandals ripped the parish sign right out of the ground and dumped it in a backyard down the street.

"You just have to pray for the evil heart that somehow saw that that was a good thing to do, or a fun thing to do," said the church pastor, the Reverend Austin Titus.

At this point, it does not appear that the two incidents are related.

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