Suffolk police arrest woman in St. Mary’s Church statue damage case

Suffolk County police arrested Deyonna Subert, 41, after investigators said a Sacred Heart of Jesus statue outside St. Mary’s Church in East Islip was damaged late on May 15, a case that drew added attention because the Hate Crimes Unit handled it.

Police said the damage occurred at about 11:15 p.m. at the church, 118 East Main St., and that Subert was arrested at 6:39 a.m. on May 20 outside 221 West Main Street in Bay Shore. She was charged with second-degree criminal mischief.

The choice to route the case through the Hate Crimes Unit signaled that detectives were looking at more than broken religious property. In Suffolk, where churches, parishes and parish schools are woven tightly into neighborhood life, damage to a visible Catholic symbol can land as both a criminal act and a message aimed at the people who worship there.

At St. Mary’s, the scene was especially upsetting because the statue’s head was later found in nearby bushes, and the damage was discovered as families were arriving for Sunday services and First Communion celebrations. ABC7 New York reported that children were making their first holy communion when the beheaded statue was found. Rev. Anthony Iaconis said church video showed a young man in a winter coat and backpack approaching the statue.

Parishioners and visitors later left flowers and candles near the damaged statue, a quiet sign of solidarity that turned the church grounds into a place of mourning and repair. Iaconis said, “It is heartwarming to say in this moment of sadness that people will reach out and help.”

The Diocese of Rockville Centre also responded publicly, saying it was troubled by the vandalism and praying that justice would be restored for the parish. Police asked anyone with information to contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.

The arrest in Bay Shore moved the case quickly from a reported act of vandalism to a criminal charge under active investigation, and it left St. Mary’s and other faith communities across Suffolk watching closely for whether the episode was isolated or part of a broader pattern of hostility toward places of worship.