Vandalism at St. Rita Roman Catholic Church in Queens Investigated as Hate Crime

A masked man was captured on video jumping a fence at St. Rita Roman Catholic Church in Long Island City, Queens, and striking a statue of the Virgin Mary with a hammer, toppling it from its pedestal. The incident, the fourth reported act of vandalism at the parish since 2024, is being examined by the New York Police Department as a possible hate crime. No arrests have been made, and the Diocese of Brooklyn released the surveillance footage and noted a recent 9.4% rise in hate‑crime statistics.

Church officials and community leaders have called for stronger security measures for places of worship, citing a pattern of attacks on churches across New York in recent years.