Yonkers church remains open after being vandalized
YONKERS – A Catholic church remains open to the public despite being vandalized earlier this week in an incident that has members confounded.
On Wednesday, dark brown paint was poured in different areas of the Church of the Annunciation, including on the tabernacle, a container that houses the Eucharist and is considered one of the most sacred areas in the church.
"That in itself gives us the feeling that it is a hate crime," Deacon Guy Pellegrini said Saturday. "It's someone who has a grievance against the church or someone who is sick."
Yonkers police responded to the church, 470 Westchester Ave., about 8 p.m. and members of the crime scene unit processed the area for evidence, officials said. In addition to pouring paint, the vandals moved various items around in the church, police said.
Church members discovered the mess quickly — before the paint even had a chance to dry — and have cleaned much of it up, Pellegrini said. Still, the incident has left them uneasy, particularly because the vandals appeared to be familiar with the church, he said.
"It's very dark down there; you would have to walk gingerly," Pellegrini said. "Whoever did it possibly knows their way around."
At the time, an upstairs door leading into the church was open, giving vandals access to the sanctuary. The church typically remains open to the public until around 8 p.m.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact Yonkers detectives at 914-377-7724 or by sending an anonymous cellphone text with the key word, "YPD" to 847411.