Cops Probe Blaze At Historic Staten Island Church As Possible Hate Crime
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A historic church on Staten Island almost burned to the ground over the weekend.
Now, police are investigating the attempted arson as a possible hate crime.
As CBS2's Esha Ray reported, the tiled floor of Saint Paul's Memorial Church was still scorched on Monday -- an unsightly reminder of the unexpected attack.
"We're of course shocked and thankful that the building itself didn't burn to the ground," Father Frederick Shraplau said.
Father Shraplau said the arsonist came sometime between noon on Saturday, and 10 a.m. on Sunday before mass, when no one was around.
The arsonist tossed a Molotov cocktail into the building through an open window and ran away.
"What the accelerant was inside of it, we don't know. I mean that's a bottle with a rag stuck in as a wick, and that's all we know," Father Shraplau said.
Father Shraplau said he keeps the windows open during the summer because there isn't any air conditioning in the building.
The windows only open halfway, which happened to be a good thing in this case, otherwise the cocktail may have reached the wooden pews and burned down the rest of the building.
"Shocked is right. Scared, shocked, kind of concerned," said Eleanor, who lives across the street.
Eleanor has been in the neighborhood for decades. She remembers the last time the church was set on fire -- nearly 30 years ago -- that was a disaster, this could have been the same.
"I just hope that whoever did it is found," she said, "Well it's just you know, wickedness. People are wicked. They come for destruction."
Since 1835, St. Paul's has stood over the Stapleton community, making its way to the National Register of Historic Place. For almost two centuries it has stood the test of time, even as some try to bring it down.
