A homeless man charged in the devastating fire that destroyed a historic New York City church allegedly told investigators he started the blaze, while prosecutors say he also kept unsettling handwritten lists outlining potential targets for violence and future arson attacks.
John Jones, 24, was taken into custody Wednesday after authorities said he admitted setting fire to South Bushwick Reformed Church, the 173-year-old Brooklyn landmark consumed by a three-alarm blaze on June 19, according to a federal detention memo cited by the New York Post.
“The defendant admitted to committing the church arson for which he has been charged in this case,” prosecutors wrote in the filing. The memo also states that Jones told law enforcement he had recently tried to set fire to another church in Brooklyn.
Federal prosecutors said investigators recovered a notebook belonging to Jones that contained a chart of handwritten categories describing violent intentions, including phrases such as “murder them,” “kill them,” “stab them,” “make them pay” and “rape him.”
John Jones has been federally charged with arson in connection with the South Bushwick Reformed Church fire. (FDNY; US District Court, Eastern District of New York)
The chart included tally marks, prosecutors said, along with multiple misspellings of the word “church,” which appeared throughout the notes.
Jones is facing a federal arson charge tied to the South Bushwick Reformed Church fire. If convicted, he could be sentenced to as many as 20 years in prison.
Prosecutors are seeking to have Jones detained without bail. His arraignment is expected to take place Friday.
“This defendant placed countless Brooklyn residents at risk when he recklessly set fire to the South Bushwick Reformed Church in broad daylight,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a statement.
“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.”
John Jones’ notebook included a chart with several handwritten categories for violent targets, including “murder them,” “kill them,” “stab them,” “make them pay” and “rape him.” (Peter Gerber)
Jones was linked to the fire after he was captured on surveillance video attempting to enter the church, according to the criminal complaint.
He was denied entry and then walked across the street to buy a lighter. He then appeared in video footage returning to the side of the church, and surveillance footage showed a large plume of smoke rising from the building shortly afterward, prosecutors said.
The three-alarm fire gutted much of the historic church and destroyed its historic spire, causing it to collapse. Thousands of historic artifacts were also lost to the fire, which torched the inside of the building.
The church was constructed in the 1850s and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It was also designated as a New York City landmark in 1968.
“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,” FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said in a statement.
“This fire placed lives at risk, including the first responders who responded to protect the church and the surrounding neighborhood.”
John Jones was arrested Wednesday and allegedly admitted to law enforcement he set fire to the South Bushwick Reformed Church. (Peter Gerber)
Jones was taken into custody Wednesday after he was caught at a Midtown Manhattan CVS attempting to shoplift, according to the New York Post. He made an appearance Thursday in Manhattan Criminal Court to be arraigned on the shoplifting charge, and he was held without bail.
