New York man charged with setting fire to historic Brooklyn church
A NYC man has been arrested for allegedly setting fire to a historic church in Brooklyn, causing significant damage to the 19th-century building, according to federal prosecutors.
John Jones, 24, of Brooklyn, was arrested Wednesday in Manhattan and charged with intentionally setting fire to the South Bushwick Reformed Church at 855 Bushwick Avenue on June 19, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
Surveillance footage showed Jones repeatedly trying to enter the church at around 12:12 p.m. before walking to a convenience store a short distance away, according to the criminal complaint.
Jones entered the store at around 12:30 p.m., asked the cashier for a lighter and paid for it with coins. He returned to the church about 10 minutes later and spent several minutes walking around the property, including inside its gates.
A photograph taken by a witness at around 1:27 p.m. showed smoke and flames near the bottom of the church’s exterior along Bushwick Avenue. Investigators identified that area as the apparent point of origin and said Jones had approached it before the fire began.
Jones was identified after he was arrested by New York City police in an unrelated property destruction case on June 28. Investigators who reviewed body-camera footage from that arrest said his clothing, hairstyle, facial features and mannerisms resembled those of the man seen near the church.
The South Bushwick Reformed Church was constructed in the 1850s and designated a New York City landmark in 1968. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
Jones faces between five and 20 years in federal prison if convicted. No motive was disclosed.
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