STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A Staten Island man faces multiple charges, including assault on police officers, following an incident at St. Ann’s R.C. Church in Dongan Hills on Friday, Jan. 9, while morning Mass was being held.
Matthew Caffrey, 29, of Gansevoort Boulevard in Meiers Corners, was arraigned from his hospital bed on Thursday. He faces numerous charges, including multiple counts of assault, resisting arrest and obstructing governmental administration.
Two NYPD officers responded to 101 Cromwell Ave. at approximately 7 a.m. where they encountered Caffrey inside the church, according to the complaint. When an officer asked him to step outside, he refused and picked up a wooden chair, swinging it in the officer’s direction, the complaint alleges.
Matthew Caffrey allegedly damaged an angel statue, the marble floor and other items on the altar during a morning Mass at St. Ann’s R.C. Church in Dongan Hills on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. Here, the Rev. Jacob Thumma, the pastor, holds a broken piece of the angel’s wing.(Advance/SILive.com | Jan Somma-Hammel)
Police say Caffrey then threw a statue of an angel to the ground, breaking off a wing and causing cracks in the church floor. He also allegedly grabbed a vase and threw it to the ground, causing it to shatter.
As one of the officers attempted to take Caffrey into custody, he pulled his hands away, flailed his arms and struck that officer twice in the head and face with a closed fist, according to the complaint. The officer suffered a laceration, bleeding and swelling to the forehead, as well as substantial pain to the wrist, police said.
A second officer at the scene alleges that Caffrey kicked him in the knee, causing him to fall to the floor.
“Mr. Caffrey is a 29-year-old who has no prior contact with the criminal justice system,” said Mario Gallucci, Caffrey’s attorney.
“He was attempting to exercise his right to freedom of religion when he was accosted. His reaction was a direct result of the aggression he received and he looks forward to his day in court for the truth to come out,” Gallucci went on to say.
Matthew Caffrey, 28, allegedly damaged an angel statue, the marble floor and other items on the altar during a morning Mass at St. Ann’s R.C. Church in Dongan Hills on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(Advance/SILive.com | Jan Somma-Hammel)