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Police in Mineola, New York, arrested a man who disrupted a Sunday Mass June 15 at Corpus Christi Church and severely damaged two religious statues near the altar.
Authorities identified the suspect as 26-year-old Aldo Hernandez, a resident of Mineola, Patch reported.
The incident occurred during an afternoon service, when Hernandez reportedly approached the sanctuary, became visibly aggressive, and toppled the statues. The estimated cost of the destruction is approximately $10,000, according to law enforcement.
Hernandez was taken into custody at the scene and later appeared in court on June 16, where he was formally charged with second-degree criminal mischief.
According to ABC7, prosecutors stated in court that as Hernandez walked toward the altar, he shouted, “This is false religion, and not God,” just before knocking over the statues.
The judge released him on personal recognizance, without bail or electronic monitoring, according to the outlet. As part of the court’s conditions, Hernandez was ordered to stay away from the church, the pastor’s residence and workplace, surrender any firearms if applicable, and had his license to carry suspended.
CatholicVote has tracked a disturbing trend of attacks on Catholic churches in the US, documenting more than 500 incidents of vandalism, destruction, or desecration since May 2020.
