New pics released of wanted teens suspected of smashing angel statue outside Queens church
New surveillance images were released Wednesday of three teen suspects who cops say smashed an angel statue into bits outside a Queens church, police said.
Worshipers at Holy Family Catholic Church in Hillcrest found the destroyed statue outside their 74th Ave. house of worship on March 24, cops said.
The vandalism occurred about 10 p.m. the night before, cops said.
Surveillance video recovered by police shows three teen boys carrying the statue off church property into the street. Two of them gleefully lifted the statue over a fence, while a third held up his phone to record, surveillance video shows.
One of the vandals then ran with the angel, as if he was making the statue fly, then spun around and threw it, smashing it to the ground and breaking it.
Cops estimate the cost of replacing the statue, which the church acquired about a decade ago, at $500. The NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force is investigating the crime.
It’s believed the teens busted the statue as part of a TikTok challenge, the Rev. Sean Suckiel said at a recent Sunday Mass.
“It’s an attack on all of us,” Suckiel told parishioners. “Everything in the church is from donations. It’s from your own pockets. It’s from your own generosity.
“We definitely believe in forgiveness, but justice must be served,” he added.
The NYPD is asking the public’s help identifying and tracking down the vandals, believed to be between 15 and 17 years old.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be confidential.
