21-year-old arrested for setting 10 NYPD cars on fire
July 22 (UPI) -- A 21-year-old man has been arrested and charged with setting 10 New York City police cars on fire last month, federal prosecutors said.
Jakhi McCray is accused of setting the cars on fire early on June 12.
According to the complaint unsealed Monday, McCray allegedly scaled a fence into a secure private lot for reserve NYPD vehicles for precincts in northern Brooklyn at about 12:52 a.m. EDT that day.
Federal prosecutors said he remained in the lot for about 32 minutes, during which he set fire to 10 NYPD vehicles and a trailer.
Police officers arrived at the scene at about 1:24 a.m. and noticed a suspect trying to escape by scaling the fence before fleeing through a hole in the barrier.
A cigar lighter and a pair of sunglasses were found at the scene, along with 22 fire starters and 10 BBQ Dragon Egg fire starters that had been placed under three undamaged police vehicles, the prosecutors said.
Police were able to lift fingerprints from the sunglasses, they added.
Federal prosecutors also suggested that the arson was connected to the anti-Trump administration protests, stating the incident occurred "two days before protests were scheduled to be held over the June 14-15 2025 weekend."
The Justice Department estimates the cost to replace the damaged vehicles at $800,000.
NYPD Commissioner Tisch said the arson attack "was as cowardly as it was criminal."
"The defendant in this case may have wanted to send a message -- but all he did was mobilize the full force of the NYPD, the ATF and the FDNY to identify, locate and arrest him," she said in a statement.
If convicted, McCray faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years behind bars and a maximum penalty of 20 years.
Police had been looking for McCray for weeks.
Last month, NYPD published images of McCray online and identified him as the suspect in the case.
On Monday, NYC Mayor Eric Adams celebrated McCray's arrest.
"We got him," he said on X. "Our arson suspect is now in custody."
WANTED FOR ARSON OF NYPD PROPERTY: Jakhi Lodgson-McCray is wanted for setting fire to NYPD vehicles on June 12 in Brooklyn & causing significant damage.
There is zero tolerance for anyone who attacks the NYPD.
If you have any info, contact @NYPDTips or call 800-577-TIPS pic.twitter.com/bWQHArrojR— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) June 18, 2025
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