Bellmore Virgin Mary statue decapitated; 3rd incident in past year

BELLMORE -- Police on Long Island are looking for a person who is vandalizing religious statues in Nassau County.

The latest incident happened Tuesday morning outside the Knights of Columbus Hall on Bellmore Avenue in Bellmore.

The suspect decapitated a statue of the Virgin Mary.

Authorities say it is the third such incident in Bellmore in the past year. The others occurred at the same location last July and at a Nativity scene on Bedford Avenue and Broadway.

Crime Stoppers is asking anyone who can identify the person(s) responsible or anyone who has information about these crimes to call the toll-free hotline at 1-800-244-TIPS (8477). A reward of up to 5,000 is being offered for information that leads to an arrest.