CCTV footage has captured two men suspected of being drunk British nationals posing with a golden Jesus statue outside a 15th-century church in Lithuania before it broke and they fled the scene.
Incident at Vilnius Church
The footage shows one man lounging on a bench before the other staggers into view carrying the child-sized statue. The seated man then begins recording on his mobile phone as his companion struggles to keep his balance while handling the figure. Within moments, the statue's arms snap off, and the gilded sculpture falls to the ground, shattering into fragments.
Looking surprised, the man holding the statue runs off with a golden arm in each hand, followed by his filming companion. The pair are thought to be British nationals based on an accent heard in the footage, though authorities have not confirmed their identities.
Police Investigation Launched
The statue was taken from the Shrine of Divine Mercy church in the Old Town of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. It is believed to have been wrenched from a wooden cross in a courtyard off Dominikonų Street. The footage was posted to social media by the church's priest, Fr. Elijas Anatolijus Markauskas, who urged viewers to share the video widely to raise awareness.
The man who dropped the figure was wearing a checkered scarf and a lengthy grey coat, while his accomplice wore a blue beanie hat and a black jacket. Local police said in a statement: "On November 11, at about 9pm in Vilnius, Dominikonų St., from the inner courtyard of the church, an unidentified person broke a golden sculpture of Jesus hanging on a wooden cross. The damage is being assessed. A pre-trial investigation has been initiated under Article 284 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Lithuania." The damage is currently being assessed as part of the pre-trial investigation.
