Diocesan News

Spree of Religious Statue Thefts Leave Queens Residents, Officials Shocked

July 14, 2026
By
Property owner Giovanno Battaglia says he was determined to put a new statue of St. Anthony in the same spot as the one that was stolen because it was important to his faith. “We are Catholic. We came from Sicily. I remember my mother used to go to church every morning at 7,” he adds. (Photo: Paula Katinas)

HOWARD BEACH — When Giovanni Battaglia learned that a statue of St. Anthony he had placed in front of an office building he owns in Howard Beach had been ripped from its pedestal and stolen, he decided he wasn’t going to let the thieves win. 

He got another statue of St. Anthony from his son, painted it the colors of the original, and put it where the old one had been for more than 25 years. This time, however, he secured the statue with a pedestal and a chain.  

“I said, ‘I’m going to replace it, but I want to make sure that this time they’re going to have a hard time if they try to steal it again,” said Battaglia. 

The theft of Battaglia’s St. Anthony statue is part of a troubling spree of thefts of religious statues in Howard Beach and Ozone Park that have angered and perplexed Catholics in the two communities and led a local councilwoman to call for stricter law enforcement penalties for the crimes.  

“People are concerned. They’re concerned that their faith is under attack,” said Phyllis Inserillo, president of the Howard Beach Lindenwood Civic Association. 

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According to the NYPD, there were four thefts of religious statues in the Howard Beach and Ozone Park communities between June 11 and June 25.  

The theft of Battaglia’s St. Anthony statue, which stood outside Rockwood Park Chiropractic at 91-17 157th Ave., was the first incident reported to the NYPD. 

Two weeks later, on June 23, a homeowner reported the theft of two statues — one of the Blessed Mother and another of St. Pedro — from the front of a home near Bristol Avenue and Hawtree Street in Ozone Park. 

Someone struck Ozone Park again the following day, stealing a statue of the Blessed Mother from a property near Bristol Avenue and Centerville Street. 

The NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force was notified of all of the incidents, officials said. 

No suspects have been arrested.  

On July 13, the same day The Tablet visited Howard Beach to report on the thefts, the office of Councilwoman Joann Ariola, who represents the neighborhood, notified the newspaper that a fifth incident was reported to them by a local homeowner that same day. The thief removed a statue of the Blessed Mother from the front of a house in the vicinity of 159th Avenue and 98th Street, according to the councilwoman’s office. 

Howard Beach, nestled in the southwest corner of Queens, is a neighborhood where statues of the Blessed Mother, Jesus Christ, and saints like St. Anthony are common sights on front lawns.  

Beyond the monetary value of the statues, they are beloved by community residents, who often stop in front of a statue to say a quick prayer while walking down the street, Ariola said. “They become very personal to the people who live there. People pass by and say their prayers,” she added. 

Ariola believes the thefts are a deliberate attack on Catholics. 

“They are quite targeted at the Catholic community,” said Ariola, who is Catholic, also lamenting the fact that the law doesn’t appear to have any teeth when it comes to punishments for these types of crimes. “It shouldn’t be a slap on the wrist,” she said. 

Meanwhile, Battaglia is praying that his replacement statue of St. Anthony stays put. “It makes us feel good,” he said.