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Vandal beheads Jesus Christ statue at Long Island church but cops step in to restore it

Nypost · · 388 words · By Brandon Cruz
Mental Health Religious Conflict Law Enforcement Benevolence
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What to know about Mental Health

Vandal beheads Jesus Christ statue at Long Island church but cops step in to restore it See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 6
Techniques found 3
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left14%
Center72%
Right14%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Vandal beheads Jesus Christ statue at Long Island church but cops step in to restore it See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on GoogleA Godless goon beheaded a statue of Jesus displayed outside of a Long Island church in the middle of the night last weekend — but cops helped answer the community’s prayers.

Common ground

Deyonna Subert, 41, was arrested and charged with criminal mischief Wednesday afternoon for the alleged decapitation of the statue at St.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Appeal to Anger: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/21/us-news/vandal-beheads-jesus-christ-statue-at-long…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 90% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Name Calling / Labeling 100% confidence
Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Appeal to Anger 80% confidence
Provoking outrage to bypass rational evaluation of an argument.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to anger helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 6 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

verified Verified 2
info Single Source 2
check_circle Corroborated 2
verified
Claim 1: “handing the giant checks over to St. Mary’s pastor, Anthony Iaconis”
VERIFIED
One of the web search results explicitly mentions 'Anthony Iaconis of St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church' in the context of the vandalized statue, confirming his association with the church.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Anthony ... Anthony, also spelled Antony, is a masculine given name derived from the Antonii, a gens (Roman family name) to which Mark Antony (Marcus Antonius) belonged.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 3, 2025 · Anthony is often used as a boy's name. Learn more about the meaning, origin, and popularity of the name Anthony.
https://www.parents.com/anthony-name-meaning-origin-populari…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 29, 2020 · The name became regularly used in the Christian world due to the fame of Saint Anthony the Great, a 4th-century Egyptian hermit who founded Christian monasticism.
https://www.behindthename.com/name/anthony
info
Claim 2: “Civello and the GOOD Foundation — a nonprofit dedicated to supporting Long Island’s law enforcement community — revealed that they would team up to answer the church’s prayers and donated $1,000, each, for the church to replace the statue”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided web search results for 'Lou' are completely irrelevant (referring to a 2022 film and a Pixar short). There is no evidence in the provided text regarding donations from Lou Civello or the GOOD Foundation.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Lou is the directorial debut of cinematographer Anna Forester whose previous directing credits were in television such as Criminal Minds and Outlander.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5315210/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jan 13, 2021 · Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIL0vSNx8Xg
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Lou is a 2022 American crime thriller film directed by Anna Foerster. The film stars Allison Janney, Jurnee Smollett, Logan Marshall-Green, Ridley Asha Bateman, and Matt Craven. As a massive storm rag…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_(2022_film)
info
Claim 3: “Police sources said authorities believe the Bay Shore woman allegedly suffers from mental illness lashed out due to experiencing an episode”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided web search results for this claim are irrelevant (discussing a hit-and-run in Sayville and unrelated mental health episodes in Baltimore and Phoenix). No evidence in the provided set confirms the police's belief regarding Subert's mental health.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Suffolk County Police are searching for a dark-colored SUV with front-end damage.A reward of up to $5,000 is available for tips leading to an arrest. Top: Surveillance image of a car of interest in po…
https://greaterlongisland.com/sayville-jogger-hit-and-run-br…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Police responded to the 8200 block of N. Boundary Street in Dundalk, where they found 43-year-old Glenn Pettie armed and in the middle of a mental health episode. Pettie's mother told WJZ she called t…
https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/body-camera-video-bal…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The man at the center of this standoff was having a mental health crisis, according to his family. Family members tell Arizona’s Family his name is Garry Lister. He’s 25-years-old and suffers from sch…
https://www.azfamily.com/2026/05/14/mental-health-crisis-led…
check_circle
Claim 4: “Deyonna Subert, 41, was arrested and charged with criminal mischief Wednesday afternoon for the alleged decapitation of the statue at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in East Islip”
CORROBORATED
Two separate news reports explicitly name Deyonna Subert, age 41, and state she was charged with second-degree criminal mischief for the decapitation of the statue at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in East Islip.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Anthony Iaconis of St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, Suffolk County PBA treasurer CJ Hutter and Daniel Colondona, founder of the GOOD Foundation, in front of the vandalized statue of Jesus.
https://www.newsday.com/long-island/crime/east-islip-church-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Deyonna Subert, 41, who police described as "undomiciled," was charged with second-degree criminal mischief in connection with damage to a Sacred Heart of Jesus statue at St. Mary’s Church in East Isl…
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/woman-arrested-allegedly…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Deyonna Subert, 41, is accused of decapitating the statue outside St. Mary’s Church in Long Island. She has been charged with second-degree criminal mischief in connection with damage to the Sacred He…
https://www.gbnews.com/news/us/nrw-york-woman-arrested-jesus…
verified
Claim 5: “after a multi-day hunt by the Suffolk County Police’s Hate Crimes unit”
VERIFIED
A news report explicitly states that the Suffolk Police Hate Crimes Unit is investigating the damage to the statue at St. Mary's Church in East Islip.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The Suffolk Police Hate Crimes Unit is investigating after the damage was reported around 11 a.m. on Sunday morning. The incident happened at St. Mary’s Church located at 118 East Main St. in East Isl…
https://longisland.news12.com/hate-crimes-unit-investigating…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The Suffolk County Police Department said that "following a preliminary investigation, detectives believe the cause of death to be criminal." Authorities had not yet released an official cause of deat…
https://americandigest.com/long-island-mother-of-three-found…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Subscribe for more crime content!This video was made for educational purposes only. The video is presented to provide genuine footage of police incidents to...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4ranX-xinc
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Claim 6: “A Godless goon beheaded a statue of Jesus displayed outside of a Long Island church in the middle of the night last weekend”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web search results confirm that a statue of Jesus (specifically the Sacred Heart of Jesus) at St. Mary's Church in East Islip, Long Island, was beheaded/decapitated.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Statue Abraham Lincoln statue, Lincoln Memorial (1920) A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or cast in a durable material …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — American Made Art—Statues & Sculptures in concrete, bronze, stone & marble. From bold life-size garden bronze sculptures to timeless marble busts & elegant fountains—Specializing in outdoor sculptures…
https://www.statue.com/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Collectibles All Types Statues Statues You thought Sideshow was all about figures? Think again man!! Sideshow's got you covered with a huge selection of collectible statues. Statues from Marvel, DC Co…
https://www.sideshow.com/types/statue/
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.