Statue of Virgin Mary vandalized outside Queens school and seminary

ELMHURST, Queens (WABC) -- Police in Queens are searching for the person who vandalized a statue of the Virgin Mary.

The vandal spray-painted the statue with the word "idol" early Friday outside Cathedral Prep School and Seminary in Elmhurst.

Staff discovered the vandalism when they showed up for work Friday morning.

The statue was cleaned and restored by Friday afternoon.

The NYPD is investigating the damage as a possible hate crime.

Anyone with information in regard to the identity of this individual is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).

RELATED: Religious statues vandalized in Connecticut

----------

* More Queens news

* Send us a news tip

* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts

* Follow us on YouTube