BOSTON (WHDH) - Boston police are turning to the public for help identifying a man wanted in connection with two incidents of vandalism at city churches early Friday morning.
Officers responding to a reported vandalism call at St. Teresa of Calcutta Church and Saint John Paul II Catholic Academy on Columbia Road in Dorchester around 6:30 a.m. Friday found an unknown substance on several door-locking mechanisms, preventing the use of keys to gain entry to the school building, and a circular bike lock on the door handles of the main front entrance doors, according to police.
A short time later, officers responded to another vandalism call at St. Monica-St. Augustine Catholic Church on Old Colony Road in South Boston. There they found the same unknown substance on all four door locks of the church and that a statue of The Blessed Mother had been knocked over.
“Somebody went around and put it on all out locks so the locks were not usable we couldn’t get into the building in or out of the building,”said the Rev. Peter DeFazio
The same statue had been knocked over on Friday, March 5, but that the incident had not been reported.
DeFazio said this is not the first incidence of vandalism his congregation has had to deal with.
“The sad thing about this is that we’ve been dealing with vandalism now for several months. We have repaired our beautiful statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary multiple times now, and it keeps getting hit. Last night the statue was again knocked off its pedestal and damaged,” he said.
Police have not said if the incidents are connected.
“We pray for the person or people involved in this and we hope for their own sake that they do get caught,” said the Rev. John Ronaghan who serves St. Teresa of Calcutta Church.
Anyone with information is strongly urged to contact District C-6 Detectives at 617-343-4742.
Community members wishing to assist this search anonymously can do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1 (800) 494-TIPS or by texting the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463).
This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.
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