Three teenagers were caught on surveillance camera vandalizing a religious statue at the Holy Family Roman Catholic Church in Queens, New York. According to the officials, the video shows the teenagers filming the act on their phones, taking the concrete angel from a fenced-in area at the rear of the church and throwing it to the pavement, causing it to break into several pieces.
The incident occurred at around 10 p.m. on Thursday. Police are investigating the vandalism and attempting to identify the suspects. The church has not commented on the incident.
Teenagers Caught Slamming Angel Statue
In the article in New York Post, according to police, three teenagers between the ages of 15 and 17 were caught on surveillance video vandalizing a religious statue at the Holy Family Roman Catholic Church in Queens, New York. The video shows two teenagers reaching into a fenced-in area and pulling up a concrete angel statue, which they then threw to the pavement, causing it to shatter into several pieces.
The incident occurred around 10 p.m. on Thursday, and the teenagers fled on foot after committing the vandalism. Police are investigating and attempting to identify the suspects.
Another source, New York Daily News, reports that the pastor of Holy Family Church in Hillcrest, Queens, suspects that a TikTok challenge may have motivated a band of teen vandals to snatch a concrete angel from outside the church and smash it to pieces.
During Sunday's mass, Pastor Sean Suckiel told congregants that security cameras had captured the entire incident on video. He also expressed his heartbreak and questioned why the teenagers would commit such a senseless act. The pastor believes the vandalism may be tied to a TikTok challenge encouraging users to vandalize schools and school bathrooms.
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What is Vandalism, and What are the Consequences?
According to Criminal Defense Lawyer, vandalism is the deliberate act of destroying or damaging property in a way that causes a physical deformation and destrcution that diminishes the property's value. Examples of vandalism include putting bumper stickers on someone's car, spray-painting your name on someone's fence, carving your initials on public park trees or benches, or breaking a building's windows.
Other forms of vandalism include writing your name on a store window with a marker, "keying" a car or puncturing its tires, and knocking over grave markers.
While vandalism involves damaging property, it's not always considered "damage to property." In some states, these terms may include acts of vandalism, but in others, they may refer to more serious forms of physical damage.
The maximum penalties for this offense usually include fines and up to one year in jail, while felonies can result in more than one year in state prison and significant fines. Each state has its own set of penalties that cover vandalism, including jail time, fines, restitution, probation, and community service.
The number of damages categorizing a crime as a misdemeanor or a felony can differ among states or depending on the property type. The most commonly encountered punishments for vandalism are fines, jail time, and restitution. Probation and community service may also be required as part of the punishment.
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