Vandals beheaded a Sacred Heart of Jesus statue outside a Catholic church on New York’s Long Island, and police are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime, according to Greater Long Island.
Suffolk County police said the vandalism at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in East Islip was reported May 16. The department’s Hate Crimes Unit is investigating, though authorities have not released additional details or identified any suspects.
A statue of Jesus was found beheaded at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church on Long Island, New York
— Sachin Jose (@Sachinettiyil) May 17, 2026
Info: Greater Long Island pic.twitter.com/mf9if6p0Wy
A parishioner told the news outlet that she saw multiple police vehicles outside the church after she attended her granddaughter’s First Holy Communion.
“It seems someone cut the head off of the statue,” she told the outlet. “Such a disturbing thing to do.”
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No arrests had been announced as of May 18. Police asked anyone with information to call 1-800-220-TIPS.
The incident comes amid a number of vandalism cases targeting religious statues at Catholic churches in New York, as Zeale News has reported.
CatholicVote’s Violence Tracker has recorded more than 500 attacks and acts of vandalism against Catholic churches in the U.S. since May 2020.
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