A man was arrested after he was found sleeping in a Manhattan church, police and parish officials said, saying the man went on a rampage and toppled a statue of Jesus, resulting in $4,000 in damages.
The man, who appeared to be homeless, had fallen asleep at Immaculate Conception Church in the East Village around 11 a.m. Monday when he woke up furious and exploded in an “outrage of violence,” church officials told the Post. .
“He became violent, destroying bookshelves and overturning a statue of Jesus,” said the employee, who requested anonymity. “So it was really scary because it was like this explosion of violence that was out of control.”
The enraged man was one of two people believed to be homeless who were sleeping inside the Catholic church at the time, the worker added. The vandal’s tantrum forced believers to intervene, she said.
“He was throwing things around and it all happened so fast,” the woman said. He said the church had just finished its 10 a.m. Mass and parishioners remained afterward to pray the rosary.
Church officials said several churchgoers “helped” the deranged vandal out the front door of the church, and one man led the charge.
Police said the vandal was seen fleeing on foot towards First Avenue, but had not been captured by Wednesday.
Police estimated the damage caused by his rampage was approximately $4,000.
“Luckily no one was hurt,” the worker said. “As our priest said, ‘Jesus took the blow in our place. He took the fall again.’
Parish officials said they were “quite shaken” by the crime, but “fortunately no one was hurt and police will be conducting more prowls on 14th Street.” .
The NYPD’s 9th Precinct, which covers the church area, has seen declines in five of the seven major crime categories, according to the latest statistics.
However, there was a slight increase in felony assaults, with 29 similar crimes reported since January, compared to 25 in the same period last year. Records also show that one more robbery (19) has been reported in the station so far this year compared to last year.
Still, the church official said there was a general feeling that the area, and the city, was becoming more dangerous.
“But lately there’s been a lot of crime happening all over the city. Like everywhere,” she said. “I lived here [in the East Village area] You can feel it after 20 years. There is a lot of anxiety in the city. ”
The vandalism occurred weeks after a custodian at the same church was severely slashed in the neck by a creep with a box cutter, according to the victim and police.
The victim, identified by sources as John Mach, 54, received 16 stitches after being confronted by an unidentified patient who was urinating between two cars on January 22. Authorities said he suffered a cut.
Administrators said Wednesday they did not believe their church was specifically targeted.
“It’s just a city. This is New York, and that’s what’s happening right now,” she said. “You just have to be more alert and careful. If you look around you, it just happens.”
The crime is the latest in a spate of vandalism and strange behavior at local Catholic churches.
Late last month, four suspects wearing heavy metal costumes vandalized a cross and a stained glass window in St. Columba’s, Brooklyn.
In July, a man wearing a purple priest’s robe and no pants vandalized the shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church in Lower Manhattan, police and witnesses said. announced at the time.
Also in the summer, vandals sprayed black paint and the word “fake” on a statue of the Virgin Mary outside the Church of the Resurrection in Gerritsen Beach, police said at the time.
And in June, a deranged man destroyed a framed photo of Pope Francis at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Astoria, then poured paint thinner on the basement floor and dressed in priest’s robes. All dressed up, the diocese announced.
