Arrest in Bushwick church fire: Man charged in Juneteenth blaze that toppled historic steeple
Police have arrested a 24-year-old Brooklyn man on arson charges in connection with the fire that tore through South Bushwick Reformed Church on Juneteenth and brought down its landmark steeple.
John Jones, of Brooklyn, was taken into custody and now faces arson charges, according to court documents. The FDNY previously ruled the fire incendiary, though officials did not immediately release details. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a statement that Jones “placed countless Brooklyn residents at risk when he recklessly set fire to the South Bushwick Reformed Church in broad daylight.”
The complaint gives a timeline: On June 19, a man first attempted to get into the church, then went to a nearby deli and bought a lighter. He came back to the church, and surveillance video captured a low-burning fire a few minutes later. The complaint says the individual was seen walking on and around the property, at times approaching parts of the church exterior near where the low burning would later appear. It also notes that fire moves upward and that the lowest point of burning is often a sign of where the fire began.
Jones admitted to the church fire when investigators interviewed him, and also claimed he recently tried to burn down another Brooklyn church, according to other court documents. He was initially arrested on June 28 in a separate property destruction case; officials said his mugshot closely resembled the person seen on camera at the church days earlier.
For the Rev. Dr. James E. Steward II, the church’s pastor, the news landed hard. “When I got to the church, the way it rose straight to the top, in my limited knowledge of fire, that usually depicts suspicion of arson,” he told USA TODAY in July. “In the midst of grieving the loss of what we’ve known as a community for 175 years, (it) just took another turn in hearing that it was intentional.”
The South Bushwick Reformed Church, built in 1853, was one of the neighborhood’s most recognizable landmarks. Its slightly tilted steeple rose above nearby buildings, and locals would stop by for services even if they weren’t members. The fire destroyed that steeple and has left the congregation facing an uncertain road to recovery. Supporters have set up a GoFundMe to help with rebuilding efforts.
The arrest may bring some sense of accountability, but for the congregation the loss is still fresh. The church had stood for more than 170 years as a place of worship and community anchor. Now, as the legal case moves forward, the community is left to weigh the damage to a building that held generations of history.