FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 13, 2016
A “Sacred Heart of Jesus” statue was damaged outside of Saints Peter and Paul Rectory in Williamsburg. Video (click here) shows 3 people approach the statue after 4:30 am on Sunday, September 11, 2016. A man touches his hand to the statue’s hand and then pulls the statue forward, apparently trying to kiss its forehead. He and the group then run off. The police have been contacted.
This is the third time since 2012 that a “Sacred Heart of Jesus” statue outside Saints Peter and Paul rectory has been stolen and/or damaged. After a statue was stolen in 2012 a couple from New Jersey donated a nearly 100-year-old family heirloom to replace it. That statue was stolen in May of 2016 (click here for video). It was recovered but relocated indoors. A similar statue, donated by a local business, was placed outside the rectory following the May incident and damaged over the weekend.
Please see previous press advisories below for more information.
May 11, 2016: Update
Click here for additional video of group suspected of stealing Williamsburg church statue. This video was released by the NYPD along with the following advisory:
The New York City Police Department is asking the public’s assistance identifying the individuals depicted in the attached surveillance video in regards to a grand larceny that occurred within the confines of the 90 Precinct. Details are as follows: It was reported to police that on Saturday, April 30, 2016, at 0207 hours, the suspects removed the statue of the “SACRED HEART” of Jesus Christ from the Saint Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church located at 71 South 3 Street.
Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
May 6, 2016: Advisory
Update: The Sacred Heart of Jesus statue stolen from outside Saints Peter and Paul Rectory was returned this morning. Just hours after thieves took it off its plinth over the weekend, a Brooklyn man found it in a trash can outside his home near South 3rd St between Berry and Bedford Avenues in Williamsburg. The man took the statue and gave it to his mother, who kept it in her apartment. After seeing local news reports indicating the statue had been stolen, the family realized it belonged to Saints Peter and Paul Parish, where they sometimes attend church services. They contacted the rectory and returned the statue this morning. The base of the statue as well as the statue’s right hand have been damaged. D’Ambrosio Ecclesiastical Art Studios, Inc has volunteered to restore the statue as well as donate a bigger, heavier version. The larger statue will go outside the rectory in the stolen statue’s place, while the recovered statue will go inside the Parish’s new church which is expected to be complete in 2019. The stolen statue was donated by a couple in New Jersey, an heirloom they say was in their family for about 100 years. It was donated in 2012 to replace a similar statue–also stolen from outside church property. Police are still looking for the 3 thieves who were caught on video taking the sacred statue.
May 6, 2016: Update
The Sacred Heart of Jesus statue stolen from outside the Saints Peter and Paul Rectory, located at 71 South 3rd St, 11249 in Williamsburg, was found. A man spotted the statue in a trash can outside his Brooklyn apartment and gave it to his mother. After seeing media reports, the family realized where the statue belonged and contacted the rectory to return it. The statue is being restored at D’Ambrosio Ecclesiastical Art Studios, Inc. Phone number: (914) 666-6906. Saints Peter and Paul Parish’s Mother Superior and the rectory secretary will be available for interviews at the rectory at 1pm.
May 5, 2016: Press Advisory
A statue of Jesus was stolen on Saturday night from Saints Peter and Paul Church in Williamsburg, located at 82 S 2nd street, Brooklyn NY 11249. Surveillance video shows a group of suspects taking the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue from outside the church. The same type of statue was stolen from Saints Peter and Paul Church in 2012. A replacement statue, which was donated by a couple from New Jersey, was taken on Saturday. The church is asking anyone who may recognize the people in the video to come forward. The Mother Superior assigned to this parish will be available for media interviews at 2:30pm at the Church. Please email Carolyn Erstad directly for better quality video and for more information.