Virgin Mary Statue Wrecked By Vandal At Historic SoHo Church, Police Say

SOHO, NY — Police say that a man has been arrested after he destroyed multiple statues outside a Catholic church in SoHo last month.

Police charged David Hedeen with criminal mischief and a hate crime, the NYPD said late Thursday night. Hedeen, 40, is believed to be homeless, police said.

Hedeen took three small statutes outside of the St. Anthony of Padua Church and hurled them at a larger statue of the Virgin Mary, according to authorities. Police say he jumped the church's fence on 155 Sullivan St. before taking the three statues and throwing them the Virgin Mary. (Want more local news? Sign up here for free news alerts and neighborhood updates from Patch.)

Hedeen damaged the statues at about 12:40 a.m. on June 26, the spokesman said.

Patch was not immediately able to contact Hedeen's attorney on Friday.

Rev. Mario Julian, the church's pastor, told Patch that the full extent of damage to the statues is unknown.

"The guy did big damage," Julian said. "He picked them right up and flung them full force."

Julian said that the statues were at least 40 years old, and said he wasn't yet sure whether they would be replaced or repaired. He estimated that fully replacing the statues would cost between $8,000 and $10,000.

St. Anthony of Padua Church was built in SoHo in 1888 and has been landmarked by the city.

Lead image via Google Maps.