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Federal Prosecutors Charge Man With Arson in Historic New York City Church Fire
Just the facts
Court records indicate that Jones admitted to setting fire to the 173-year-old landmark structure, which caused a three-alarm blaze that destroyed the church's spire and internal artifacts. Federal prosecutors disclosed that investigators recovered a notebook from Jones containing a handwritten target chart with violent categories and tally marks detailing plans for additional attacks on houses of worship. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore confirmed that Jones also admitted to attempting to burn down a second church in Brooklyn. Jones was initially detained by police during a shoplifting incident at a Midtown Manhattan CVS before being transferred to federal custody.
Why this is news
Federal prosecutors filed arson charges against 24-year-old John Jones in connection with a June 19 fire that destroyed the historic South Bushwick Reformed Church in Brooklyn, New York. Law enforcement officers arrested Jones after linking him to surveillance video from the scene and discovering handwritten planning notes.
Sources
This summary is compiled strictly from the original reporting below.