Cops: Teen Tourist Splashed Water on a Met Masterpiece

A teenage tourist in New York City is accused of splashing water on centuries-old paintings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Joshua Vaurin, 19, a visitor from Texas staying at a Times Square hotel, allegedly splashed water at two paintings: Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres' 19th-century portrait Princesse de Broglie, and Girolamo dai Libri's 16th-century altarpiece Madonna and Child With Saints, which the Met considers a masterpiece. The incident didn't stop there, as Vaurin allegedly ripped two tapestries off the wall before he was detained, law enforcement sources tell the New York Post.

The motivation behind the alleged vandalism remains unclear, though the Post's sources said Vaurin seemed to have taken an "unknown substance." He was looked over at a hospital following the incident, though he was reportedly uninjured, and later arraigned on charges of criminal mischief, per NBC News. The good news for art lovers: The damage is considered repairable, with estimated restoration costs hovering around $1,000 per artwork, the Post reports.