Homeless Man Charged in Brooklyn Church Arson, Prosecutors Say He Plotted Additional Attacks

Federal prosecutors allege that John Jones, 24, admitted to setting fire to the South Bushwick Reformed Church on June 19, which resulted in a three-alarm blaze that consumed the 173-year-old structure. Jones was arrested Wednesday and has confessed to law enforcement regarding the arson attack on the historic Brooklyn religious institution, according to a detention memo filed by prosecutors and reported by the New York Post.

In addition to the church fire, prosecutors contend that Jones recently attempted to ignite a second Brooklyn church. Court documents reveal that investigators discovered a notebook belonging to Jones containing handwritten charts listing violent target categories, including “murder them,” “kill them,” “stab them,” “make them pay,” and “rape him,” with tally marks and misspelled references to churches throughout the pages.

Surveillance footage established Jones’s connection to the fire after cameras captured him attempting entry to the South Bushwick Reformed Church before being denied access. Video evidence shows him crossing the street to purchase a lighter, then returning to the church’s side entrance, with smoke billowing from the building moments later, prosecutors said.

The fire destroyed much of the 1850s-era building, collapsing its historic spire and destroying thousands of artifacts inside. The church was designated a New York City landmark in 1968 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. Jones faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted and is expected to be arraigned Friday.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the defendant endangered countless residents through the broad-daylight arson. FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore added that the intentional burning of a house of worship constitutes an attack on both a historic building and the community it serves.

Jones was taken into custody Wednesday after being apprehended attempting to shoplift at a Midtown Manhattan CVS store. He appeared in Manhattan Criminal Court on Thursday for arraignment on the shoplifting charge and was held without bail pending Friday’s proceedings on the arson charge.