Authorities in New York City are searching for a suspect who draped himself in an LGBTQ pride flag while allegedly vandalising three churches with anti-Christian messages in a targeted spree.
A Twenty-Minute Crime Spree
The incidents occurred in the early hours of October 5 in the Queens borough. According to the New York Police Department (NYPD), the vandalism began at approximately 1:40 am at the Refuge Church of Christ on Mott Avenue. There, the individual spray-painted the phrase 'anti-gay cult' on the church's facade.
Less than five minutes later, the suspect struck again at the City of Oasis Church of Deliverance, which is just a two-minute walk from the first location. The same hateful message was scribbled on the front door.
The final target was St Mary's Star of the Sea Church on New Haven Avenue, hit around 2:00 am. Here, the graffiti read 'welcome cult members'. It was also at St Mary's, located about half a mile away, that the suspect defaced the faces of two religious statues.
The Hunt for the Suspect
Surveillance footage captured the individual, whose face was concealed by a rainbow mask, carrying out the acts. The NYPD reported that all three houses of worship were targeted within a 20-minute period. After the vandalism, video showed the suspect fleeing the scene on a Citi Bike, the city's bicycle-sharing programme operated by Lyft.
The NYPD is investigating the acts of criminal mischief as hate crimes. No injuries were reported during any of the incidents, and there have been no arrests. Police are urging anyone with information to come forward.
Hate Crime Statistics in New York
This case adds to the city's tally of hate crime incidents. According to the latest NYPD statistics covering January to September 2024, there were 496 hate crime complaints. Police made 217 arrests in connection to these alleged incidents.
The report revealed that complaints of anti-Semitic and anti-LGBTQ hate were the most prevalent. In contrast, there were only 12 anti-Catholic and 5 anti-Protestant complaints recorded during that same nine-month period.
Tips can be reported anonymously to the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS or via the CrimeStoppers website.
