BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

Officials investigate vandalism, fires at Maryland churches

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

ovp test

mLife Diagnostics LLC: Oral Fluid Drug Testing

Male shot by female at Shreveport apartment

Class to create biodiverse backyard

Rules for outbursts at Caddo School Board Meeting

maylen

https://digital-stage.newsnationnow.com/

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241114185800

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241115200405

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118165728

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118184948

BETHESDA, Md. (NewsNation) — Investigations are underway into several weekend incidents of apparent arson and vandalism at churches in Maryland, authorities said.

Montgomery County authorities said the incidents took place at three churches of different denominations a short distance away from each other in Bethesda.

“There are a lot of similarities,” said Pete Piringer of Montgomery County Fire Rescue. “Most notably, location and time.”

Overnight Sunday, a blaze was apparently set at St. Jane Frances De Chantal Parish, forcing worshippers to attend Mass at an alternate location Sunday morning, news outlets reported.

The Rev. Samuel Giese, a priest at the parish, said the damage surprised even him.

“It’s a shocking moment to see, and very disturbing,” he told NewsNation.

Dozens of firefighters responded to an alarm at the church around 2 a.m. and quickly extinguished the fire, according to the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service.

The fire involved several pews in the main church area, Piringer tweeted. No injuries were reported.

In a statement about the fire, a spokesperson from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington said the archdiocese was shocked by the incident but that they are a “resilient community of faith.”

Earlier in the weekend, a fire was set at a Methodist church that was broken into, according to fire officials. Also Saturday, investigators found damaged headstones and broken wood pieces scattered around the vicinity of Wildwood Baptist Church, WJLA reported.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Southeast

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Site Settings Survey

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241119133138

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Clear

la

48°F Clear Feels like 48°
Wind
1 mph NNW
Humidity
52%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. Low 46F. Winds light and variable.
46°F Clear to partly cloudy. Low 46F. Winds light and variable.
Wind
1 mph N
Precip
8%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waning Gibbous