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A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC. Gothamist Listen Live Donate News Brooklyn man charged with arson in destructive blaze at historic Bushwick church By Samantha Max Published Aug 5, 2026 at 4:30 p.m. ET
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A Brooklyn man faces a federal arson charge in a blaze that tore through a historic Bushwick church in June, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Wednesday in the Eastern District of New York.
The U.S. attorney’s office said John Jones, 24, intentionally set fire to the 173-year-old South Bushwick Reformed Church on June 19 and caused significant damage.
Prosecutors said surveillance footage captured Jones buying a lighter at a nearby convenience store around midday. A photo taken about an hour later shows clouds of smoke billowing from the church's steeple and flames on its facade. Security video also appears to show Jones approaching the church, an officer with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms said in the complaint.
“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 press release. “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.”
Jones has not yet appeared in court, and attorney information was not immediately available.
The Bushwick church was built in 1853 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. New York City named the house of worship a local landmark in 1968 .
Photos in the complaint show charred planks of wood scattered across the floor, with large portions of the roof exposed. Pastor James Steward told Gothamist after the fire that he expected the damage would pose a “major financial blow” to the congregation. A GoFundMe campaign has raised nearly $20,000 for repairs.
The Dutch Reformed Church is one of just eight wooden, landmarked houses of worship in the city, according to the National Fund for Sacred Places . In 2021, the group helped fund repairs to the church’s spire after a tropical storm knocked it off-kilter.
Samantha reports on whether New Yorkers feel safe and whether the institutions that are supposed to protect them are working. Before coming to WNYC/Gothamist, she spent three years covering the criminal justice system in Tennessee for Nashville Public Radio. Her reporting on Nashville's police department received multiple awards, including the Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize. Samantha was also part of the inaugural class of Report for America, a service journalism program that sends up-and-coming reporters to local newsrooms across the country. She is a Northwestern University grad, a Baltimore native and fluent in Spanish. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal: samanthamaxwnyc.93.
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