wasn't in metropolis...in Superman 4, there's a part where Superman chases Nuclear Man across the globe. Nukes causes destruction, & Supes fixes it...the liberty scene takes place in new york (i think)

As for 'what was the statue doing?' it was standing there minding it's own damn business being a statue & a monument till Nuclear Man picked it up & threw it into the center of Manhattan. then Superman caught it, and as he was carrying it back to liberty island, Nuclear Man clawed Supes, which somehow gave clark kent the flu...blah blah blah, ramble, ramble, ramble...etc