A come-to-Jesus moment on the TF at Tompkins Square Park

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Written by EVG 

Updated: City to Holy Ride: Thou Shalt Not Skate. Holy Ride is gone, but it has been resurrected elsewhere. Read on.

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A month after Hell Ride departed the Tompkins Square Park TF, its successor has arrived from a higher authority. 

Last month, the Hell Ride ramp disappeared from the Tompkins Square Park skateboard area after a relatively brief run. We were told that the Sunday field hockey players had lodged a complaint about the installation. 

At the time, an EVG reader suggested that perhaps the ramp would have been OK without the "Hell." 

And so yesterday, a group of skaters unveiled something bigger: Holy Ride.

The new three-ramp installation features Jesus, arms outstretched, riding a skateboard, flanked by the words "Holy" and "Ride."

Franco The Thirteenth created the artwork and, we're told, was also the artist behind Hell Ride.

The installation on this hot August afternoon required plenty of 2x4s, drill bits, teamwork and some impressive acrobatics as the crew maneuvered the oversized pieces into place.

A local artist even stopped by to sketch the proceedings.

The new addition was already getting plenty of attention — and reviews — before the work was finished. 

"These guys have no respect for Christ," one resident told us. 

Another observer had a different take: He thought Jesus would approve. 

Meanwhile, one woman had a more practical question: Why doesn't Jesus have a neck? 

We don't have an answer for that one. 

By late afternoon, Holy Ride was in place, and skaters were already putting it to use.

How long Holy Ride remains with us is in the hands of a higher power.