Police release surveillance video of man vandalizing Bensonhurst church

The suspect tore down a large cross with a statue of Jesus Christ and then burned an American flag, which caused damage to the property.

News 12 Staff

May 16, 2021, 11:31 AM

Updated 1,241 days ago

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Police are releasing surveillance video of a man wanted for vandalizing a church in Brooklyn.
Police say a man entered Saint Athanasius Roman Catholic Church Thursday in Bensonhurst.
He allegedly tore down a large cross with a statue of Jesus Christ and then burned an American flag, which caused damage to the property.
New York City mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa and the Guardian Angels came out Saturday to gift Saint Athanasius Church a new flag.
The Guardian Angels tell News 12 they will be patrolling the area near the church.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo put out a statement, reading in part: “I am disgusted to learning that St. Athanasius Church, a historically Italian American place of worship in Brooklyn, has been vandalized. I want the Bensonhurst community to know we will do everything we can to bring the cowardly vandals responsible for this to justice.”
The NYPD is investigating the incident as a hate crime.