New Bedford man arrested after allegedly assaulting priest with beer can, police say

A New Bedford man was arrested Monday after he allegedly assaulted a priest, punching him and hitting him with a beer can, according to police. 

Jose Nascimento, 59, faces one felony charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, as well as misdemeanor charges of assault and battery, threatening to commit a crime, disturbing the peace, and disorderly conduct. He appeared in New Bedford District Court Tuesday and was ordered to undergo a mental health examination, court documents show. 

Police responded to Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church on Bonney Street just after 5 p.m. Monday for a report about a man who was arguing with a priest. They found the priest and another bystander restraining Nascimento on the ground outside the church. Nascimento told police that he went inside the church and was attacked, according to a police report. 

The priest told police that he was in church taking confession when he heard witnesses who were praying inside calling his name. He came out of the confessional and saw Nascimento at the altar hitting various objects. The priest asked Nascimento to go outside with him, and Nascimento allegedly began throwing punches at the priest, according to the police report. 

The priest showed officers a black plastic bag with an empty 25-ounce can of Natural Light beer inside, saying that Nascimento threw it at him and caused a cut underneath his eye. The priest was later evaluated by medical professionals and taken to a local hospital, according to the police report. 

Other witnesses told officers that Nascimento entered the church, stomped his feet on the way to the altar, slammed his palms into objects on the altar, and hit a statue of Jesus Christ. One witness described how the priest grabbed Nascimento by the collar of his shirt to escort him outside. 

Nascimento told police that he was leaving the church on his own accord when the priest pushed him. Nascimento, looking at the priest from a distance while police were on scene, repeatedly stated “you’re a dead man, you’re a f***ing dead man, b****,” according to the report. He also stated that he had one bullet in his backpack, but no bullet was found inside the bag.  

When asked about the plastic bag and the beer can, Nascimento initially said that the objects did not belong to him, then said “I almost whacked him in the head with it in self defense,” according to the report.

Nascimento’s attorney, Patrick Mullen, declined to comment when reached Wednesday