SUNSET PARK — A person trespassed onto the grounds of Our Lady of Czestochowa – St. Casimir Church late on Nov. 12, destroying multiple statues, according to the pastor, who said the incident left him shocked and saddened. 

“This is the first time anything like this has ever happened at our church,” the pastor, Father Janusz Dymek, told The Tablet.  

The NYPD was called to the scene, and police are investigating the incident, Father Janusz Dymek said. The NYPD did not respond to The Tablet’s request for comment on the status of the investigation.  

The church’s security camera captured footage of a person approaching a statue of St. Joseph holding the baby Jesus inside a gated area outside of the rectory at 183 25th St., at 11:26 p.m. The person opened the gate, walked up to the statue, and knocked the heads off both figures, the video shows.  

Video from a second security camera shows the same person entering the church’s garden, located on the side of the rectory, and attacking statues of the Children of Fatima — a boy and a girl — who are depicted kneeling before a statue of the Blessed Mother. In the video, the person kicks the boy statue off of its pedestal and then smashes the girl statue, knocking off her head and hand.  

“The boy is OK. I think we can repair him. But the girl is completely destroyed,” Father Dymek said, noting that the statue of the Blessed Mother was left untouched.  

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The vandalism was discovered by a man working at the school next door to the rectory, who informed Father Dymek shortly before the 7 a.m. Mass on Nov. 13. 

Alina Kwasnicka, a parish trustee, said she was horrified when she learned about the incident from Father Dymek. “What kind of person would do something like this? It is a person with hate in their heart, I think,” said Kwasnicka, who has been attending Mass at Our Lady of Czestochowa – St. Casimir Church for more than 30 years. 

The church serves Brooklyn’s Polish immigrant community.  

Kwasnicka, who spoke to The Tablet on Nov. 13, said it was too soon at that point to tell how much money would be needed to repair and replace the statues and if the parish would be conducting a fundraising effort. “It is still a shock right now,” she said.  

The attack on the Children of Fatima statues was particularly hurtful to parishioners, Father Dymek said, because that area of the garden is a popular spot for taking photos. “Children take their First Holy Communion pictures there,” he said.  

The area is also popular for other reasons, Kwasnicka said. “Parishioners put flowers there on All Souls’ Day if they can’t get to the cemetery,” she explained. “And the Blessed Mother statue is also where we do our May Crowning every year.” 

Father Dymek said his main concern was for the parishioners.  

“I am here for them. I will be praying for them and with them,” he said.