Parishioners Shocked After Shots Are Fired At Ridgewood, N.J. Church
RIDGEWOOD, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Shots were fired late last week at a church in Ridgewood, New Jersey, and days later, everyone was asking who would possibly do such a thing.
As CBS2's Scott Rapoport reported, the shots were fired through a window and brick wall at the Old Paramus Reformed Church in Ridgewood.
"It's horrifying," one person said outside the church. "I don't understand why someone would vandalize something so beautiful."
Police said it all happened on Friday in the early-morning hours. A series of shots, perhaps more than 20, were fired at the church, police said.
Parishioners Shocked After Shots Are Fired At Ridgewood, N.J. Church
Inez Bunza lives close by to the church.
"We shut out lights and ducked down until we could contact police," she told 1010 WINS' Darius Radzius.
Bunza and her neighbor Rob Butler say they've heard gunshots in the area before.
"The first time it happened was in late November," Butler said.
"I don't know. It makes no sense, I guess. I don't know," said church employee Guy Costka. "Who wants to shoot at a church, you know?"
Costka is a groundskeeper at the church and has worked there for nearly four decades.
"I've been here 38 years and I've never seen nothing like it," he said.
Despite the widespread pattern of the shots, no injuries were reported. CBS2 was told the church was empty at the time.
Concerned church employees and volunteers declined to comment and kept tight-lipped, referring all questions to police.
"It's a shock, and we're just kind of re-grouping," said the Rev. Rob Miller, pastor of the church.
The Ridgewood Police Department told CBS2 that as of Monday, they did not have a motive for what happened. They added that no threats against the church or the pastor had been reported.
"This is extremely unusual for us," Police Capt. Jacqueline Lutge told Radzius.
"We live close to the church, and so we're -- it's shaken us up, of course," Rev. Miller said.
The church has a rich history. According to its website, it was built in 1800 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1773, General George Washington and his army encamped near the site where the church was later built.
Miller said like police, he did not know what the motive behind the shooting could be.
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