By Gus Saltonstall
NYPD is asking for help in locating a man who attempted to remove a holy statue from a well-known cathedral in Morningside Heights, police said over the weekend.
A man walked into The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine at 1047 Amsterdam Avenue near West 112th Street, at about 8:30 p.m. on December 3, and tried to remove a religious statue within the church, police said.
The would-be burglar did not finish the job, though, as he dropped the statue and fled the cathedral after he noticed security was in the building, police said.
The nearly taken statue is a crucifix, but there is a woman depicted on a cross instead of the body of Christ, church officials told 1010 WINS. The officials also told the station that the statue — named “Christa” — is valued at $100,000.
The statue is now back in the cathedral.
The suspect is described as 45 to 50 years old, around 5 feet, 10 inches tall, and 220 pounds, police said.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
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There is a well-known biblical punishment for stealing that would be an effective deterrent to this sort of anti-social behavior.
Interesting that the linked 1010WINS article credited the potential thief with “a theological disagreement” in the words of one church official! Not the usual reason for theft. (The official pointed out that, in a church that welcomes questions, discussion, rather than theft or removal, is a better way to go.) This artwork has long been a source of controversy – from the day it was first shown in the 1980s, many viewers have had a visceral negative (or positive, or surprised) reaction. This Times article interviews the artist and describes how the sculpture, entitled “Christa”, has been shown and removed from the Cathedral before – https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/05/nyregion/an-evolving-episcopal-church-invites-back-a-controversial-sculpture.html . Last I saw, maybe 5 years ago, it hung in a side chapel, small but powerful, offering the possibility of contemplation or avoidance to any who pass.
Yes, I have brought more than one friend here who was raised Catholic and they audibly gasp when they realize it’s a woman’s body on the cross–it is a small but powerful piece, and it makes me happy St John’s displays it. Happy it is safe!
Thanks for the link! Great article.
Ah, you answered my question already.
Guy looks like a well-heeled art dealer. I’d start there…
Burglar or fundamentalist?
Looks like someone straight off the set of a “Goodfellas” shoot.
In all seriousness, I’d expect this guy is ID’d by end of Monday.
As Lennie (Jerry Orbach) used to say from time to time on the series, Law & Order,
“I love it when they’re stupid…”
Here is a guy standing in front of a valuable statue, with a security camera facing straight down on him, probably in clear view, and tries to snatch it, thinking he would not get caught.
Genius.
Has he been caught?
I suspect he thinks he is doing God’s work.
Probs’ trying to get their money’s worth per the ~$15+ ticketed admission charge! I kid, I kid… kinda/sorta
Somewhere, a woman artist has created
a female Christ upon the cross, voluptuous
in her agony. There are those who would erase
her, tear her down, but I have waited
all my life for such an image . . .
Yes, I wrote those words in a poem, some years ago.
Hate crime
Depends. Did the would-be thief plan to sell it or to destroy it?