Authorities seek help identifying these suspects in Morristown church vandalism; ‘Witness for Love’ rally set for June 1

Morris County authorities say this is the main suspect in the May 2023 vandalism at Morristown's Church of the Redeemer. Image courtesy of the Morris County Sheriff's CrimeStoppers.
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The Morris County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday asked for the public’s help identifying security camera images of a “rowdy and destructive group” suspected of vandalizing the welcome sign at Morristown’s Episcopal Church of the Redeemer last weekend.

Seven males and three females were observed walking east on South Street shortly before 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 20, 2023.

Cameras recorded some of them “hitting and/or damaging multiple signs” before they entered a pair of parked cars on Dumont Street, according to the Sheriff’s CrimeStoppers program (973-COP-CALL), which is offering up to $1,000 for information.

SUSPECTS: Slideshow images courtesy of Morris County CrimeStoppers:
Main Suspect
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Redeemer’s high-density urethane sign was split in two just hours after the church erected a series of flags in Gay Pride colors. The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office and Morristown police have been investigating this as a possible bias incident.

Morris Sheriff’s Office investigators examine vandalized sign at Morristown’s Church of Redeemer, May 24, 2023. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

Sheriff’s investigators were on the scene Wednesday, photographing the damage and searching the sign for fingerprints.

Redeemer’s rector, the Rev. Cynthia Black, has estimated it will cost more than $15,000 to replace the sign. The church has been accepting donations for that purpose.

In the meantime, Black said, a parishioner has applied glue and flat-strapping brackets as a temporary fix.

And Girl Scouts from Normandy Park School Troop 98406 on Saturday attached ribbons in the style of Japanese ceramic repair, and adorned the sign with peace symbols, stars and rainbows.

Many people stopped by and were happy to see the kids brightening up the sign, which “had looked even more miserable with fingerprint dust all over it” from the investigation, Black said.

“Now it helps remind everybody that love wins!” the minister said.

Girl Scouts from the Normandy Park School Troop 98406 spruce up vandalized sign at Church of the Redeemer in Morristown, May 27, 2023. Photo by the Rev. Cynthia Black

A community-wide Witness for Love event on the church lawn on Thursday, June 1, at 7 pm, will “celebrate the good we know exists in Morristown,” proclaims a banner outside the house of worship.

Church of the Redeemer post invitation to Witness to Love celebration for June 1, 2023. Photo by the Rev. Cynthia Black

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12 COMMENTS

  1. Frank, it doesn’t excuse it, but it might explain it.
    I think I was wrong about the bar with the wonderful and funny sign. I think it was in Kentucky. I know that doesn’t make a big difference.

  2. Oops! I omitted quotation marks after the word “funny” in the first line of my response to Jeff’s comment.

  3. I am one reader who doesn’t think the “funny sign in the North Carolina bar that Jeff mentioned is funny at all. He and I clearly have a difference of opinion about just what the word “funny” means.

  4. @Jeff – People may be tired of it but that doesn’t excuse destruction of property. As for the NC sign – they just forgot QAnon for the Q, which is what those right wing Trump gun nuts are all about – crazy conspiracy stuff! Am I right – haha.

  5. I’d a fact that a lot of people are tired of hearing all of this LBGTQ stuff. When you put it out there you might get some unwanted attention.

    On another note I recall the funny sign at a North Carolina bar that made news: “LGBTQ: Liberty, Beer, Guns, Trump, BBQ!”

  6. If late night drunks do not discriminate. How does one know what their actual beliefs are?

  7. Perhaps it can be explained why my comment from the other day did not post. I proposed that the damage might not be a hate crime directed at the LBGTQ community. Attracting many out-of-towners to the many bars in town, promoting “pub crawls”, etc. Morristown is now a destination for Friday night drunks. “ALL ARE WELCOME” means ALL. Drunken vandals, too. So, again, like the Baptist Church was not a race based bias hate crime, gays were not targeted if other properties were damaged. Did they contact the media?

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