A hurricane relief donation drive in Miami turned into a shocking display of violence and chaos when a long-serving Catholic priest allegedly attacked a donor over anti-Cuba political ads.
Jesús Gabriel Saldaña, 72, a priest at St. Kevin’s Catholic Parish for 20 years, was arrested Saturday after authorities say he lunged at a woman, ripped off her car’s rearview mirror, and dumped her purse onto the ground in an effort to seize her phone.
The confrontation began November 6, around 11:40 a.m., when a woman arrived to drop off donations for Cuba. A dispute erupted over her photographing the donation table and a politically charged anti-Cuba poster. According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, Saldaña tried to force her out, escalating to a physical scuffle that had to be broken up by bystanders.
During the fight, the woman bit the priest’s wrist in self-defense, authorities say. Saldaña then allegedly reached into the vehicle and attempted to grab her purse. The incident led to multiple charges: battery on a person 65 or older, burglary of an occupied conveyance, and criminal mischief under $200.
Bond court Judge Eleane Sosa-Bruzon found probable cause, setting alternate bonds of $7,500, $5,000, and $150. A stay-away order also prevents the priest from contacting the woman.
Saldaña’s attorney, David Rothman, told the court his client moved from Cuba in 1987 and has worked nearly 40 years for the Archdiocese of Miami with no prior criminal record.
This incident raises serious questions about the volatile intersection of politics and faith in Miami’s Cuban community, where anti-Cuba sentiment and relief efforts collide.
