Security footage shows NYPD vehicles on fire in a Brooklyn parking lot in June 2025. Jakhi McCray pleaded guilty in April 2026 to setting the blazes.
Photo via U.S. District Court
A Brooklyn man on Wednesday pleaded guilty to setting 10 NYPD vehicles on fire in a Bushwick parking lot last year.
Jakhi McCray turned himself in to police custody following the blaze on DeKalb Avenue between Wilson and Central Avenues in Bushwick and was charged with a federal arson count. Law enforcement agents said McCray scaled the fence around the lot, which the NYPD uses to store vehicles, around 1 a.m. on June 12, 2025, and used fire starters to light up the cop cars — plus a trailer — causing $800,000 worth of damage.
The charge carries a mandatory five-year minimum prison sentence and a maximum sentence of 20 years. McCray, 22, remains out on a $300,000 bond until his sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled.
McCray was previously arrested in connection with protests and charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. While law enforcement said he acted alone in setting the 2025 blaze, the incident took place a few days before the June 14, 2025, “No Kings” protests in New York City, sparking concern among law enforcement that security at the protests could be compromised, according to court documents.
On Wednesday, around 20 supporters of McCray filled half the courtroom as he pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Seth Eichenholtz. Some wore T-shirts that said “Free Jahki!” and “Love fights back.” McCray, meanwhile, wore a gray T-shirt that said “Vive La Commune” and a black medical face mask.
21-year-old Jakhi Lodgson-McCray stands trial for federal arson charges.NYPD
After pleading guilty, McCray offered a brief allocution: “On June 12, 2025, I knowingly and intentionally set fire to NYPD vehicles in a parking lot in Brooklyn, New York, and I knew that the vehicles could be damaged.”
Samuel Jacobson of the Federal Defenders of New York and the prominent defense attorney Ron Kuby represent McCray.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Urquiola appeared on behalf of the government.
Joseph Nocella Jr., U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said McCray’s actions “were not only dangerous, but they were also a direct attack on public safety and the rule of law.”
“By deliberately setting fire to multiple police vehicles in the pre-dawn hours, the defendant put at risk the lives of first responders and residents asleep in their beds nearby, and ultimately, strained resources meant to protect the community,” Nocella said in a statement.
The Support Committee for Jakhi McCray, a group that describes itself as an “independent collective representing our own political expression in support of his defense,” released a statement in the wake of his plea saying McCray’s activism has “touched countless lives.”
“Jakhi is supported by a broad base of comunity (sic) organizations in New York City and across the United States, with more than 21 organizations already signed on to a statement of support for him following the plea deal today. Jakhi’s bravery and commitment to defending his community is an inspiration to us all, and we will keep fighting until he is free,” the group said.