CV NEWS FEED// A man has been charged with hate crime after vandalizing statues of the Holy Family, decapitating a statue of the child Jesus, outside of a Catholic church in Queens, New York.
On June 30, the suspect, identified as Jamshaid Choudhry, was seen on a surveillance video vandalizing statues outside of Holy Family Roman Catholic Church in the neighborhood of Flushing, as CatholicVote previously reported. He was arrested on July 11, according to the New York Post.
On July 13, ABC reported that the Queens Criminal Court charged Choudhry,
with criminal mischief in the second degree as a hate crime, criminal mischief in the third degree as a hate crime, criminal mischief in the fourth degree as a hate crime, criminal mischief in the second degree, criminal mischief in the third degree, criminal mischief in the fourth degree and aggravated harassment in the first degree.
Choudhry could face up to fifteen years in prison. He must return to court on August 1st.
The ABC article included District Attorney Melinda Katz’s statement: “We will not tolerate unprovoked attacks, especially those driven by hate. Queens stands as a beacon of diversity and inclusivity, where freedom of religion and expression are celebrated as fundamental pillars of our democracy.”
The attack is one of more than 400 attacks and vandalisms against Catholic churches in the United States since May 2020, CatholicVote’s Violence Tracker reports, and the 42nd attack on a Catholic church this year. New York City has seen 40 attacks on Catholic churches since 2020.
