Minneapolis priest believes "urban explorer" trend behind recent attempted church break-ins
Within the last several weeks, a Minneapolis pastor said his church and surrounding buildings on the property have been the target of people trying to break in.
The break-in attempts have caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage to doors and windows, and are raising concerns about safety for parishioners, Spencer Howe said.
Late Friday night, surveillance video captured four people outside Holy Cross Catholic Church. In the footage, one person appears to use a crowbar in an attempt to force open a locked door. Another clip shows people with flashlights inside one of their buildings.
"It's almost happening, you know, two, three, four times a week," Howe said. "I'd say at least 15 to 20 times we've had attempts to enter or entries into our buildings."
Police told WCCO on Monday that a review of police activity at the church "identified nine unique police events" between June 9 and July 31, including six formal reports.
"The incidents primarily involved juveniles or groups entering or attempting to enter the church and school by pulling doors, damaging door frames, and using tools like crowbars for access," officials said in a written statement. "No confirmed thefts were reported, although multiple incidents resulted in property damage."
Howe believes the value they are after is online clout, motivated by social media attention as part of the "urban explorer" trend, where individuals seek access to restricted or abandoned locations and post the footage online. Police acknowledged that these types of incidents have "been occurring for a while" and are impacting communities across the state.
There have been at least 103 incidents in Minneapolis that are related to the trend, compared to 83 for all of 2025, officials said. One that happened Friday night allegedly involved several masked individuals who unlawfully entered U.S. Bank Stadium. According to police, there was roughly $40 worth of damage to a gate and door, both of which have since been repaired.
No one has been arrested in connection with the U.S. Bank Stadium incident.
"I know some of the posts of people inside of our buildings have been circulated on social media," Howe said.
Minneapolis police have been called several times, but officers have not arrived in time to catch those responsible, he said.
Despite the frustration, Howe said he hopes those involved will choose a different path.
"We'd love to serve these young people, to meet them and help them find what they're looking for, but breaking into a church isn't going to help them find what they're looking for," Howe said.
