BROOKLYN (PIX11) – In the early hours of Tuesday morning, St. Therese of Lisieux Church in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, became the site of an act of vandalism.
Surveillance footage captured a man approaching a century-old statue of the Blessed Mother in the church garden.
The video shows the suspect first interacting with the statue in an unusual manner, climbing up to it and kissing it twice before launching into a shocking display of destruction.
The man picked up a brick from the ground and began to strike the statue violently, then moved to a second statue and shattered a crucifix.
Ann Pierre, a devoted church member for over 50 years, expressed her dismay at the incident, describing it as “evil, certain vandalism.”
She noted that the act reflects broader changes in the community.
Father Liju Augustine, the church’s priest, shared his concern over the vandalism.
“My concern is to just immediately repair the statue because I don’t want them to see the wound again and again,” he stated. In response to the incident, Father Augustine is reconsidering the church’s open-gate policy, which has allowed 24/7 access to the grounds.