On an Easter Sunday that worshippers at the Church of the Gesu will not soon forget, police say they found a man standing on the historic Milwaukee church’s altar with an axe in his hands. According to a criminal complaint, officers arrested 50-year-old Aron Ferris of Green Bay on April 5 after responding to reports that someone was using an axe to damage the church on Marquette University's campus. Prosecutors say Ferris is now charged with felony criminal damage to religious property and misdemeanor disorderly conduct.
The complaint describes surveillance footage that shows a person on the altar holding and flipping an axe while officers move in. An officer drew a firearm and ordered the suspect to drop the weapon, prosecutors wrote. Ferris then pulled out two knives and threw them to the floor, according to the complaint. Investigators later searched his vehicle parked outside and reported finding a gun and a second axe. Damage to the church building and its furnishings is estimated at about $50,000, according to WISN.
While in custody, Ferris told officers he believed he was God and made a series of rambling and unsettling remarks, the complaint states. At one point he allegedly asked, “do you know who the incredible hulk is, do you know what happens to him when he gets angry?” and warned police that “if you shoot me, the bullet will head towards me and then turn around and go back towards you.” Ferris also told officers he had used the axe to break into the locked church, according to WISN.
Gesu had been vandalized in March
The Easter incident came on the heels of a separate act of vandalism at the Church of the Gesu in mid-March, when statues and fixtures were damaged not long after a $10 million renovation, parish leaders said. Even so, parish officials and Marquette University reported that the congregation turned out in force at Mass and that the church would keep its doors open while leaders reviewed security measures, as reported by TMJ4.
Charges and next steps
Prosecutors have charged Ferris with felony criminal damage to religious property and misdemeanor disorderly conduct, and court records indicate he had not yet completed his initial court proceedings as of publication. It remains unclear whether additional charges will be pursued. Marquette University Police and parish officials did not immediately provide further comment while the investigation continues.
