WATERTOWN, MASS. (WHDH) - Police in Watertown are investigating after a statue and several headstones were destroyed Tuesday night at a cemetery in the city.
Officers responded around 7:30 p.m. to St. Patrick’s Cemetery on Belmont Street for a report of a statue of Mary that had been shattered and seven headstones that were overturned.
“We feel it is definitely intentional, malicious behavior,” Lt. James O’Connor said. “It’s very disturbing.
Police could be seen photographing and scanning the toppled headstones for figure prints on Wednesday morning after monitoring the scene overnight.
O’Connor says the incident is much more than just a case of vandalism.
“My grandparents are here, my great-grandparents here. It’s a community neighborhood owned by the archdiocese,” O’Connor said.
The headstones were found scattered around different rows of graves. Police say it appears they were targeted at random.
“It’s a really sad thing to happen,” Elaine Grey told 7News. “I feel bad for people who are affected by this.”
The statue of Mary once overlooked the graves of dozens of nuns. It was found in pieces. It has not been replaced, but the gravestones have since been reset.
The vandalism is under investigation. Police are asking anyone with information or who may have witnessed anything suspicious to contact them.
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