Oneida police are pursuing leads in hopes of discovering how a 6-foot-tall granite statue of St. Joseph was ripped from its pedestal at the church bearing the saint’s name on North Broad Street in Oneida. Priests from St. Joseph found the heavy statue on the ground in pieces last weekend. The altar where it stood was also damaged Police have...
Oneida police are pursuing leads in hopes of discovering how a 6-foot-tall granite statue of St. Joseph was ripped from its pedestal at the church bearing the saint’s name on North Broad Street in Oneida.
Priests from St. Joseph found the heavy statue on the ground in pieces last weekend. The altar where it stood was also damaged
Police have estimated the damage at $10,000. But for the parish, the vintage statue may be irreplaceable. It was ensconced in the outdoor shrine in 1942. Rectory secretary Marie Magliocca recalled the parishioners who volunteered their free time to build the site, including her father, who would put in hours at the shrine after a full day of work.
"It’s been there all these years, safe and sound," she said. "People come in there and pray. To think that it is not there anymore is unbelievable. It’s terrible."
Magliocca said neighbors reported hearing noises around 2 a.m. Saturday.
"They said they heard a lot of noise, but they didn’t know what it was," she said. "They didn’t see anything."
Residents with any information are asked to call the Oneida Police Department at 363-2323.