Search for suspect who kissed, vandalized statue at church in East Flatbush
EAST FLATBUSH, Brooklyn (WABC) -- Police are looking for the vandal behind a suspected hate crime at a church in Brooklyn.
Authorities say a man broke a 100-year-old statue at St. Therese of Lisieux Church on Avenue D in East Flatbush early Tuesday morning.
The statue was renovated just several months ago. Father Liju Augustine said he also upgraded the security system when he started there about a year ago.
Augustine said a groundskeeper discovered the damage after a morning mass and the surveillance video laid out exactly what happened.
The video shows someone enter the garden, climb up on the statue, kiss it two separate times, cover up the light with a backpack and then uses a brick to smash one of the arms of the statue.
Other parts were damaged as well. Augustine said the suspect then went other statue of the patron saint and broke the crucifix.
Father Augustine says the person then went to a statue of the patron saint and broke the crucifix..
"I'm not going to judge anyone, am I angry towards that person? Not at all, I'm not angry at all to that person, but I'm saddened when I see my people's faith and how they are going to perceive it," Augustine said.
The gate surrounding the garden is usually open 24/7, but Augustine says he's now reevaluating that choice.
The NYPD's Hate Crime Task Force is investigating.
Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
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