John Jones is charged with arson in the destruction of the 173-year-old South Bushwick Reformed Church
NEED TO KNOW
- The 173-year-old South Bushwick Reformed Church in Brooklyn was destroyed in a June fire, prosecutors say was arson
- John Jones was arrested while allegedly carrying a notebook with disturbing messages, and prosecutors say he admitted to setting the fire
- Church leaders have raised $20,000 on GoFundMe to fund rebuilding efforts and a temporary worship space
A man charged with igniting a devastating inferno at a historic New York church was caught carrying a disturbing notebook, prosecutors have revealed.
John Jones, 24, is charged with arson in connection with the June blaze that effectively destroyed the 173-year-old South Bushwick Reformed Church in Brooklyn, which is listed both as a New York City Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places. He was arrested on Wednesday, Aug. 5 and is set to be arraigned on the charge in federal court on Aug. 7.
Federal prosecutors say Jones was seen on surveillance footage unsuccessfully attempting to enter the church on June 19, then purchasing a lighter from a bodega nearby, according to a criminal complaint against Jones obtained by PEOPLE. Shortly afterwards, he was seen walking around church property just before surveillance footage showed smoke start to billow out of the building…