YORKTOWN HEIGHTS – Yorktown police have uncovered new information regarding a spree of vandalism that occurred in the town last Saturday night. Authorities have added St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Mohegan Lake to the list of affected locations as the plastic menorah the church had displayed outside the building has been found forcibly toppled over.
In addition, Yorktown Chief of Police Robert Noble announced that he is collaborating with the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, Westchester Police, State Police, and FBI including to analyze a photograph that was taken of a vehicle driving away from the John C. Hart Memorial Library at 11:30 p.m. The car has been deemed “a vehicle of interest” as police believe it left the library “at or about the time of the vandalism.”
Noble said they are pulling out all stops to find the perpetrator. “There are 42 square miles in this town, 20 houses of worship – Jewish centers, Islamic centers, Episcopal, Lutheran, Catholic – this is a community where religious diversity is celebrated and we protect it and we are angry and annoyed that this happed at our houses of worship,” he said.
Town Supervisor Matt Slater, who took over the post less than a week ago, said security has been enhanced around houses of worship and they have already met with Jewish religious leaders about the incidents.
In total, six locations were defaced on the night of January 4th. Windows were smashed at the Yorktown Stage, the John C. Hart Memorial Library, the First Presbyterian Church and St. Patrick’s Old Stone Church. In addition, an eight-foot-tall menorah placed in Veterans Field by the Chabad of Yorktown was toppled.
The Yorktown board will be hosting leaders of their interfaith community on Tuesday to further discuss the incidents.
The chief has encouraged anyone with information relevant to the case to contact the Yorktown P.D. by calling 914-962-4141 or emailing them at Info@YorktownPD.Org.
