Catholic Academy doors (Photo: Sacred Heart of Jesus (Facebook)
Jan. 16, 2020 By Kristen Torres
A Bayside church and school were vandalized with gang-related graffiti last week, police said.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church, located at 215-35 38th Ave., and the Catholic Academy, located at 216-01 38th Ave., were both tagged with MS-13 graffiti by an unknown individual around 4:30 a.m. on Jan. 12.
The church walls near the main entrance were spray-painted with the gang symbol and the academy school doors were marked with “MS,” according to police.
The Diocese of Brooklyn released video footage on Tuesday of a masked individual walking up to the academy before spraying the doors.
“To the perpetrator, I would encourage them [sic] to find something more constructive to do with their time and energy,” said Monsignor Thomas Machalski, Pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church. “The time they wasted on doing something like this, could be spent doing something good.”
No arrests have been made and the investigation is still ongoing, according to police.
The incident is currently being investigated by the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (8477).
