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Police in New York City are looking for a Pride-flag-carrying suspect accused of defacing three churches with “anti-Christian statements” during a 20-minute hate crime spree last month.
The suspect, who was also wearing a rainbow face covering and pushing a bicycle, scrawled “anti-gay cult” on the façade of the Refuge Church of Christ in Far Rockaway, Queens, at around 1:40 a.m. on Oct. 5, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) said. Far Rockaway is the southernmost neighborhood in the borough of Queens.
Minutes later, the rainbow-clad suspect allegedly tagged the neighboring City of Oasis Church of Deliverance with the same anti-Christian message, police said. Both churches are on Mott Avenue.
In a security video released by the NYPD, the suspect was captured scrawling “anti-gay cult” in black paint on the façade of one of the churches.
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Surveillance footage released by police shows “anti-gay cult” spray-painted outside of one of the impacted churches in Queens, New York. (New York City Police Department (NYPD))
At about 2 a.m., the suspect spray-painted “Welcome Cult Members” on the wall of St. Mary’s Star of the Sea Church on New Haven Avenue and wrote “cult” multiple times on the sidewalks outside, police said.
The suspect also defaced two religious statues, painting over their faces, police said.
Police said the person is wanted in connection with multiple acts of criminal mischief as a hate crime and the NYPD Hate Crime Task Force is investigating.
The Rev. Francis Shannon, who has been a priest at St. Mary’s Star of the Sea Church for more than eight years, said he was saddened to learn of the graffiti.
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The NYPD released split surveillance images showing a suspect carrying a rainbow flag and pushing a bicycle after allegedly defacing three Queens churches with “anti-Christian” graffiti during an Oct. 5, 2025, hate-crime spree. (New York City Police Department (NYPD))
“It was really heartbreaking learning about the vandalism. I was at my mother’s house, and as soon as it happened, I got sent pictures,” Shannon, 67, told the New York Post. “So when I woke up, I saw them, and it was just really sad.”
“I think this is more of a statement than a hate crime, just anti-institution kind of stuff,” he said.
A surveillance image released by the NYPD shows the suspect carrying a rainbow flag while riding a bicycle shortly before allegedly defacing three Queens churches with “anti-Christian” graffiti during an Oct. 5, 2025, hate-crime spree. (New York City Police Department (NYPD))
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Shannon said he doesn’t believe the graffiti reflects the broader LGBTQ community and urged the vandal to talk out their frustrations instead of acting out.
“I don’t think this is a big part of the LGBTQ movement since he had the flag. I think he’s just the exception,” Shannon said. “I just think he needs to talk it out and not act on it with violence.”
