A 33-year-old man entered the Greenpoint Catholic church St. Anthony of Padua – St. Alphonsus (862 Manhattan Ave.) and vandalized a parish last Sunday.
A video posted by the Brooklyn Diocese shows the man pouring an unidentified red liquid on a table at the front of the church during mass last Sunday at around 9:30 a.m.
Officers from the NYPD’s 94th Precinct responded quickly on Sunday following the vandalism and the suspect, “who was detained by church attendees, was arrested,” according to the Brooklyn Diocese statement.
“During my years as a priest, nothing like this has ever happened. At first, as he approached the altar, I thought he had something to tell me,” Father Jossy Vattothu who recently celebrated his 10th year as a priest said in a statement.
“It is a miracle that the bread and wine were not damaged, and I was able to continue the Mass,” he said.
In a citywide effort to protect places of worship and especially synagogues, officers have increased patrol following a series of attacks on the Jewish community.
The NYPD remains diligent to ensure that all communities are able to attend services and be safe. #NYPDProtecting #Greenpoint #Williamsburg pic.twitter.com/nspLdEOY7G
— NYPD 94th Precinct (@NYPD94Pct) January 1, 2020
If only there was a name for the “table at the front of the church”…