The New York Police Department (NYPD) is investigating the destruction of a Virgin Mary statue outside St. Rita Roman Catholic Church in Long Island City as a possible hate crime after a man climbed over a fence and repeatedly smashed it down using a hammer. In surveillance video released by the Diocese of Brooklyn, the masked man violently hits the statue outside the church in what Catholic officials say is the latest in a string of attacks targeting the parish. The Diocese said in a statement the attack was the fourth vandalism incident at St. Rita Roman Catholic Church since 2024. There was also damage done to a statue of St. Jude inside the church. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APPThe Diocese of Brooklyn told Fox News Digital no arrests had been made.