Crime & Safety

Woman Arrested for Green Paint Vandalism at National Cathedral

The incidents Monday follow a similar act of vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial last week.

By Patch Editor Shaun Courtney

Updated 5:13 p.m.

Police have arrested a woman in connection with the green paint vandalism at the Washington National Cathedral Monday, The Washington Post reports. 

DC Police are working with National Park Police to determine if the three recent incidents of vandalism involving green paint are related, according to The Post

Original Post

The Washington National Cathedral confirmed Monday afternoon that its Bethlehem Chapel, including one of its organs, was vandalized with green paint, according to a statement from the cathedral.

"The paint was strewn over the chapel’s organ console and casework and was discovered still wet, leaving officials to believe the vandalism had just recently occurred," according to the cathedral statement.

The DC Metropolitan Police Department is investigating that incident. Just the chapel was initially closed to the public Monday afternoon while a search was underway. But the entire cathedral was closed to the public when green paint was found in a second area, WTOP reports on Twitter.

Meanwhile, the Smithsonian reported a similar incident of green paint splashed on the Joseph Henry Statue near the Smithsonian Castle on the National Mall, according to WAMU

On Friday, the Lincoln Memorial was closed to the public for several hours as the National Park Service cleaned green paint that vandals has splashed there some time overnight Thursday into Friday. 

It is unclear whether the three instances are related. 


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