A homeless man left a trail of destruction inside at least four Buddhist and Taoist temples across Lower Manhattan Tuesday, cops said.
Taihong Ouyang, 49, was slapped with hate crime criminal mischief and burglary charges for the destructive bender that included a stop at the Sung Tak Buddhist Association on Pike Street near East Broadway – where he allegedly smashed religious items with a fire extinguisher, cops and sources said.
During the Chinatown and Lower East Side spree, Ouyang also allegedly targeted the Guanyinsi – World Buddhist Center on Henry Street near Rutgers Street, where he damaged two security cameras, according to authorities and sources.
He also targeted the Pu Chao Buddhist Temple on Eldridge Street near Canal Street, cops said.
Ouyang was ended his spree just after 8 a.m. when he barged into the Huang Da Xian Taoist Temple on the Bowery near Pell Street and damaged a slew of items inside, cops said.
Someone called 911 to report the vandalism and Ouyang was tracked down and arrested, authorities said.
Ouyang is also accused of vandalism at two other locations – one on Canal Street near the Bowery, and the other at East Broadway near Market Street, where two front doors were damaged, sources said.
It’s unclear whether those buildings are also houses of worship.
It also wasn’t clear exactly when Ouyang began his spree, or why he targeted the temples.
Ouyang’s arraignment was pending in Manhattan Criminal Court Wednesday.
