Churchgoer Pepper Sprayed in Face at Ground Zero Church

Red, White and Blue Cap Wearing Man Pepper Sprayed Senior

The NYPD is searching for this man in connection with the pepper spraying of a senior inside a Downtown church. -Photo by NYPD

By Dan Gesslein

Manhattan Voice

January 25, 2024

MANHATTAN - A 70-year-old parishoner was pepper sprayed in the face by a man trying to disrupt a religious service at a church near Ground Zero, the NYPD said. 

At around 12:30 pm on December 17, a man wearing a red, white and blue baseball cap walked into St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church at 22 Barclay Street and tried to disrupt the Sunday mass. When a 70-year-old parishioner confronted the disruptor, the man sprayed him in the face with pepper spray, cops said. 

The attacker ran out of the church and fled in an unknown direction. 

The victim sustained minor injuries and refused medical attention at the scene. 

The NYPD released surveillance video of the attacker. He is described as a male with a light complexion. He was last seen wearing a blue jacket, khaki pants and a blue hat with a red brim and white writing.

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/ or on Twitter @NYPDTips. 

All calls are strictly confidential.