NEW ORLEANS — Fresh piles of broken glass line the street near Willowbrook Drive and Dwyer Boulevard outside the Mary Queen of Vietnam Catholic Church in New Orleans east.
Sunday, six cars were burglarized there during 8 a.m. mass.
Deacon Vinh Tran said 11 vehicles were also broken into in the church parking lot during mass on New Year's Day.
"They just went in there and just go through the car, mess up things that are in the car and just go to the next one," Tran said. "Tell me where can we be safe now. Not a church anymore now, right."
Peter Thu Ho is a volunteer at Mary Queen of Vietnam.
He set up security cameras outside the church that caught the vandals on video Sunday.
The video shows four young men, some in hoodies and bandannas, getting out of white Infinity sedan, shortly before they broke into cars on the street.
Ho says earlier, the same vehicle drove around the church parking lot.
"They're not really scared, they not worried about anything else but to break into the cars," Ho said.
Ho said the car break ins were very concerning to parishioners.
"Going to the church and worry about a the car out there, will they break in this time or not," Ho said. "That puts a bad feeling in our minds right here, right now."
Mary Queen of Vietnam began taking steps to beef up security.
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