Police: Firebombings Of 2 Staten Island Churches Are Related
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Investigators said Friday that firebombings at two Staten Island churches are connected, and police have stepped up patrols in the Stapleton neighborhood.
The most recent incident happened around 2 a.m. Thursday at the First Central Baptist Church on Wright Street in the Stapleton section.
Police said someone threw a Molotov cocktail near the window of the church, setting an exterior wall on fire and burning the awning above a door.
As CBS2's Janelle Burrell reported, members of the First Central Baptist Church said their church is much more than the building they worship in – but this was an attack on their community.
"Whenever a crime of this nature occurs, everyone is affected," said the Rev. Demetrius Carolina. "So we're certainly praying that more people will come together and understand the importance of loving each other."
"This is not what should be happening," said church member Linda Griggs. "We got to learn to love. The hate were experiencing these days is really terrible; it really is – it's very upsetting."
Late Friday morning, church members joined with police who had been patrolling in the area. Detectives are looking to talk with a man seen on surveillance video leaving the area around the time the fire started.
"There's concern in the community that this could happen not only once but twice," said church member Edward Connor. "So it's very alarming to everyone that around in the community."
A few blocks away, police said St. Paul's Memorial Episcopal Church was also firebombed over the weekend, sustaining minor damage.
The Rev. Frederick Schraplau suspects a homeless man, who was recently evicted from a shack on the property, might be responsible, WCBS 880's Sean Adams reported.
"We also feel very sorry for whomever it is, whether it's this guy or somebody else, that they are so disturbed that they would even do such a thing," Schraplau said.
Police said late Friday that they have determined the two incidents are connected.
"There are key pieces of evidence that link the two that I'm not going to get into forensic-wise," said NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce. "But we believe -- they're four blocks away from each other. Pieces of evidence that we picked up are almost identical. So accelerants -- right now, it's not 100 percent. But it's gasoline is the accelerant."
Boyce noted that the video police released late Thursday was "not of great quality," but asked anyone who might know anything to contact the NYPD.
In addition to the extra patrols by police, First Central Baptist Church also has its own security team in place in hopes of preventing another attack.
Church members there had one message for the suspect.
"This is our community, you know? This is your community," said Deacon Tony Sims. "Speak to us. We'll talk to you. We'll pray with you. We don't know what your problem could be, but hopefully, we can solve it."
Next week, the church will host a special prayer service for peace, 1010 WINS' Roger Stern reported.
Police said the suspect seen on the surveillance video in Thursday's incident was wearing a dark-colored hooded jacket and dark-colored pants.
Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782), visit www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or text tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.