Authorities investigate vandalism and possible arson at churches near Washington, DC – KVIA

By Sonnet Swire, CNN

Three church buildings positioned on the identical street in Maryland, simply outdoors Washington, DC, have been vandalized over the weekend, and authorities are investigating fires set at two of the church buildings as arson.

“These church buildings are inside a number of mile radius of one another,” stated Pete Piringer, spokesperson for the Montgomery County Fireplace and Rescue Service. “We are able to’t conclusively say proper now that they’re linked, however they’re all very comparable.”

At round 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, a fireplace was set at North Bethesda United Methodist Church on Outdated Georgetown Rd. in Bethesda, Maryland, Piringer advised CNN, but the injury was minimal.

An investigator leaving the church grounds then got here throughout particles authorities suspect got here from the close by Wildwood Baptist Church, Piringer stated, together with a few broken headstones and wooden materials on the street.

Wildwood Baptist was not set on fireplace, however the materials discovered appeared to have been the results of vandalism, in accordance with Piringer.

About 24 hours later, at roughly 2 a.m. Sunday, the hearth and rescue service was known as to St. Jane Frances de Chantal Parish positioned lower than two miles away from the opposite church buildings. First responders noticed a fireplace within the church’s sanctuary, which broken a number of pews however was rapidly extinguished, Piringer stated, including investigators consider the hearth was set deliberately.

In remarks livestreamed Sunday, Rev. Samuel Giese knowledgeable the St. Jane Frances de Chantal congregation their parish had been vandalized in a single day. The video on YouTube additionally contained footage from contained in the church of the in a single day fireplace.

“Folks broke in, they overturned statues, tore down the stations of the cross, desecrated the tabernacle, and tried to set the church on fireplace,” Giese stated.

In a press release to CNN, Wildwood Baptist Church stated “the injury carried out to our church was restricted to the desecration of the graveyard adjoining to the church. Our prayers and concern are for these whose hearts are so vile to assault church buildings and graveyards.”

Authorities didn’t touch upon a possible motive amid the continuing investigation.

CNN has reached out to Montgomery County police, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, St. Jane Frances de Chantal Parish and the North Bethesda United Methodist Church for remark.

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