Jesus statue vandalized, American flag burned in church attack in NYC

A statue of Jesus was vandalized and an American flag was burned at a Catholic church in Brooklyn.

The vandalizim occured around 10 pm on Thursday. Police say an unknown individual jumped over the fence at the St. Athanasius Church on Bay Parkway at 61st Street in Bensonhurst.

Police are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime.

The criminal knocked over the Jesus state, breaking it in several pieces, and set fire to an American flag hanging on the church.

The pastor, Msgr. David Cassato, said he discovered the vandalism around 8 am on friday and called the police.

“This was truly an act of hatred, and today is the saddest day of my twenty years here at this parish,” said Cassato said in a press release from the Diocese of Brooklyn.

“I went over and spoke to the students in the school about what happened, telling them that hate never wins,” Cassato said. “We are, and must be, a community that continues to share the message of Easter, that which is of love, hope, and forgiveness.”