The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is looking for this suspect who allegedly destroyed a religious statue after threatening a priest inside Immaculate Conception Church in Astoria on Sunday. Google Maps/NYPD
April 9, 2025 By Bill Parry
The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating an act of vandalism inside the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Astoria on Sunday.
Police from the 114th Precinct in Astoria responded to the church at 21-47 29th St. along Ditmars Boulevard just after 1 p.m. on April 6.
Father Hughes was greeting parishioners at the rear of the church at the end of a Spanish Mass when a young man told him to “die.” The suspect then approached a woman who had brought a statue of Baby Jesus to the church to have it blessed and slapped the religious statue out of her hand near the altar rail, causing it to break into several pieces. The suspect stormed out of the church onto Ditmars Boulevard where he jumped onto a Citi Bike and rode off toward Astoria Park.
The same man was seen inside the church on Tuesday, April 1, spitting into the Holy Water font.
There have been no arrests, and the investigation by the Hate Crimes Task Force remains ongoing.
“The acts of religious intolerance at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church have left the parish community unsettled,” Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn Deputy Press Secretary John Quaglione said.
“We are grateful for the immediate response of the NYPD’s 114th Precinct and the investigative work of the Hate Crimes Task Force. We are thankful no one was injured, and we pray this person will be able to recognize God’s love for him.”
The same suspect was also seen at the church on Ditmars Boulevard on April Fool’s Day spitting into a Holy Water font, according to a Diocese spokesman. NYPD
The NYPD released surveillance images of the suspect with the Citi Bike before riding away from Immaculate Conception Church. He is described as having a light complexion with dark hair and wearing a black head covering, a beige field jacket, black pants, and a large black backpack.
Anyone with information regarding this hate crime investigation is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
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