NYC church arson suspect allegedly plotted more attacks, had violent notes like 'murder them' and 'rape him'
A 24-year-old man has been charged with arson in connection with a three-alarm fire that destroyed a historic Brooklyn church last month, and federal prosecutors say he admitted to the crime and was found in possession of a notebook detailing planned acts of violence against additional targets.
John Jones was arrested Wednesday after being caught shoplifting at a CVS in Midtown Manhattan, according to court documents. He was arraigned Thursday in Manhattan Criminal Court on the shoplifting charge and held without bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned Friday on the federal arson charge, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
According to a detention memo filed by prosecutors, Jones told law enforcement investigators that he set fire to the South Bushwick Reformed Church on June 19. The memo also states that Jones admitted to recently attempting to burn down a second church in Brooklyn.
Investigators say surveillance video captured Jones attempting to enter the church. After being denied entry, the footage shows him walking across the street to purchase a lighter, then returning to the side of the building. A large plume of smoke is visible rising from the structure shortly after, prosecutors said.
The blaze gutted much of the 19th-century church, destroyed its historic spire and caused thousands of historic artifacts inside the building to be lost. The church was constructed in the 1850s, was designated a New York City landmark in 1968 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
In a search connected to the case, prosecutors said they recovered a notebook belonging to Jones containing a hand-drawn chart with categories labeled "murder them," "kill them," "stab them," "make them pay" and "rape him." The chart included tally marks and repeated misspellings of the word "church," according to the detention memo.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a statement that the fire endangered residents of the surrounding Brooklyn neighborhood. "This defendant placed countless Brooklyn residents at risk when he recklessly set fire to the South Bushwick Reformed Church in broad daylight," Tisch said. "New Yorkers deserve to practice their faith freely and without fear, and the destruction of this sacred New York City landmark will be met with swift justice."
FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore also issued a statement, calling the fire an attack on both a historic structure and the community it served. "The intentional burning of a house of worship is an attack on a historic building and on the sense of safety and community it represents," Bonsignore said. "This fire placed lives at risk, including the first responders who responded to protect the church and the surrounding neighborhood."
Prosecutors are asking that Jones be held without bail pending trial on the federal arson charge. The investigation remains active, and authorities have not publicly identified the second church Jones allegedly attempted to set fire to.
The destruction of the South Bushwick Reformed Church drew attention across the city in the days after the fire, with residents and preservation advocates mourning the loss of a building that had stood in the neighborhood for more than 170 years. The church's spire, a recognizable feature in the Bushwick skyline, collapsed during the blaze, and fire crews faced stubborn flames that required more than three alarms to bring under control.
No injuries among congregants or nearby residents were reported, though six firefighters were hurt battling the fire, according to earlier reporting. The full extent of the damage to irreplaceable documents, artwork and furnishings inside the church is still being assessed.
Jones remains in custody. A judge will determine at Friday's arraignment whether he will continue to be held without bail as the case moves forward.
