Editor’s note: This story was updated on April 30, 2025

ASTORIA — The suspect who allegedly smashed a statue of the Baby Jesus to the floor in Immaculate Conception Church in Astoria on April 6 has been indicted, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced on April 30.

A suspect, Jose Rodriguez, 38, of Astoria, was arrested on April 9, three days after the incident. On April 30, he was charged with burglary, attempted assault, hate crime of aggravated harassment, and other related crimes, Katz said.

Police said Rodriguez entered the church, located at 21-47 29th St., at approximately 1:05 p.m. and smacked a religious statue to the floor, causing it to break into pieces. The suspect then left the church and fled the scene on a bicycle, police said.

Msgr. Fernando Ferrarese, the pastor of Immaculate Conception Church, said a man arrived at the conclusion of the noon Spanish-language Mass and approached a priest who was talking to parishioners on the sidewalk outside the church. 

“The priest who did the Mass was outside greeting the people, and this young man came on a Citi Bike and stopped there and went up to the priest and said just one word, ‘Die,’ ” Msgr. Ferrarese said.

The intruder then entered the church and walked up to the altar area, where a deacon was blessing a statue of the Baby Jesus that a woman had brought to church to be blessed, Msgr. Ferrarese said.

“The deacon was in the process of blessing [the statue],” Msgr. Ferrarese said. “It had been placed on the altar rail, and this young man came up to where the deacon was blessing the statue and hit the statue off the altar rail. It crashed to the floor and broke.” 

The deacon tried to hold the man in place, but he managed to escape and leave the church through a side door, then fled the scene on a Citi Bike, the pastor said.

“Houses of worship are sanctuaries in our communities,” Katz said in a statement. “Jose Rodriguez allegedly violated that covenant by intentionally creating havoc in what is supposed to be a place of peace.”