Man charged with torching historic Brooklyn church planned to burn another: Police

Since the church fire, John Jones has also been charged with destroying a TV outside a restaurant and shoplifting.BROOKLYN (CN) — Brooklynites looked on in horror in June as the South Bushwick Reformed Church went up in flames — a building that has marked the corner of Bushwick Avenue and Himrod Street for more than 170 years.Prosecutors say the blaze was set intentionally by a man named John Jones, who appeared Friday in Brooklyn federal court and is now in custody. Attorney Luna Garzón-Montano of the Federal Defenders of New York appeared to represent him Friday. Jones didn’t make a bail application, but could do so at a later date.According to charging papers, security footage shows Jones, 24, trying to enter the church on the afternoon of June 19, then walking to a nearby store to buy a lighter, and returning to the church shortly before the three-alarm fire overtook the building, causing severe damage and toppling its steeple.Jones was charged separately in June with destroying a TV outside a restaurant in Brooklyn, and following his arrest gave the NYPD his address as a privately run homeless shelter in New York City. He was also charged with shoplifting in early August in Manhattan.During a post-arrest interview for the latter incident, Jones “admitted to committing the church arson for which he has been charged in this case,” according to a detention memo.“Furthermore, the defendant stated that he had recently attempted to burn down a second church in Brooklyn, New York,” prosecutors write.Interior damage to the South Bushwick Reformed Church, which was built in the 1850s and largely destroyed in a fire on June 19, 2025. (U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York)Built in the 1850s, the South Bushwick church was listed in 1982 on the National Register of Historic Places, and designated in 1968 as a New York City landmark. Its cross-street, Himrod Street, was named after the church’s first pastor.It was a two-story, clapboard-sided building that combined 19th-century Greek Revival and 18th-century Gibbsian classical styles, the National Register says:The church also housed a Sunday school building — “a classical design, centering on a three-bay pavilion projecting forward from the facade.”New York City’s description cites the church’s “soaring tower” as a dominant feature, writing, ominously in present reading, that its steeple was modeled after those that were destroyed in the 1666 Great Fire of London.The South Bushwick Reformed Church, photographed here in 1923, was built in 1853 on the corner of Bushwick Avenue and Himrod Street in Brooklyn. (Eugene L. Armbruster via New York Public Library)The church has set up a GoFundMe drive raising money to rebuild.Rev. James E. Steward II, pastor of the South Bushwick Church, said the congregation has received overwhelming support from members, neighbors, clergy, elected officials and preservation advocates.“South Bushwick Church has been a place of worship, hope, service and community for generations. As a historic and landmarked church, the building represents not only a house of worship but an important part of Brooklyn’s history and the spiritual life of countless families,” Steward said in an emailed statement.“Although the fire caused devastating and irreparable damage to our sanctuary, it has not diminished our faith or our commitment to serving our neighbors. The fire has ignited a fire within us. We continue to move forward with stabilization efforts and are prayerfully exploring the path toward restoring a lasting ministry presence in Bushwick.”Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads