Arizona man crashes car into Chaldean Church in Phoenix, Arizona

On August 27th, 2025, Arizona Man James Paul Stanley was arrested after driving an SUV through the locked steel gates and front doors of the Holy Family Chaldean Catholic Church in Phoenix, Arizona. 

Surveillance videos showed the vehicle smashing through the entrance and damaging another set of painted doors inside. The suspect, identified as James Paul Stanley, reported that he saw “demons” in the church’s stained-glass windows. He crashed through the doors once, reversed, and crashed through them once more.

Investigators also revealed he had attempted to illegally purchase a firearm days earlier, lying on the federal paperwork about his criminal history and drug use.

Stanley has since admitted to a meth addiction and now faces multiple charges, including property damage, forgery, and weapons offenses.

Photo of Suspect James Paul Stanley

The Chaldean community expressed deep concern over the attack, especially as it happened on the same day as the Catholic Church shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, that left many Catholics fearing attending mass services. 

Parishioners said that their sense of safety has been disrupted once again, with one Chaldean member, Steeva Syawish, asking, “We came from a country where we had no safety there, and then we see this?”

Other church members also emphasized that repairing the building alone will not erase their fears. They heavily stressed that the threat to their safety is what remains the most terrifying.

“We are strong, and we are gonna stay stronger,” Syawish added, ensuring that the Chaldean faith remains unwavering and unbroken, even as fears continue to grow