Man Charged with Vandalizing $10k Religious Statues During Church Service in Mineola

Vandalism During Sunday Mass

• ⚡ A man disrupted a Sunday mass at Corpus Christi Roman Catholic Church in Mineola, Long Island, by yelling and breaking two historic religious statues.
• 💔 The damaged statues, representing the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Virgin Mary, suffered significant damage, with hands and fingers broken off, and Jesus's face and robe also affected.
• 💰 Each of the two statues was valued at approximately $5,000, bringing the total damage to nearly $10,000.

Suspect and Arrest

• 🔍 The suspect, identified as 26-year-old Aldo Hernandez of Mineola, entered the church before the service, shouting, "This is false religion and not God."
• 👥 Parishioners, some from the Spanish congregation, subdued Hernandez out of fear he might be armed, before police arrived.
• 👮 Hernandez was arrested and charged with second-degree criminal mischief, a class D felony.

Legal Proceedings and Background

• ⚖️ Hernandez pleaded not guilty at his arraignment and was released on his own recognizance, with the condition of wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet.
• 🚫 He has no prior criminal record and is due back in court next week.
• 😔 Parishioners expressed sadness over the damage to the old, 109-year-old statues, which had been restored in the past.