The homeless firebug accused of burning a historic Brooklyn church to the ground kept a bizarre notebook with a handwritten chart of violent crimes — with sections marked “Murder them,” “Kill them” and “Rape him,” among others — federal prosecutors alleged Thursday.
John Jones, 24, who’s accused of starting the raging inferno that destroyed the South Bushwick Reformed Church on June 17, admitted to the blaze and claimed he tried to torch a second Brooklyn church, according to a letter by prosecutors asking he be held without bail.
And when officers arrested him Wednesday, they found a notebook with “highly concerning references to planned acts of violence,” the feds allege — including a chart with sections labeled “Murder them,” “Kill them,” “Stab them,” “Make them Pay,” “Rape him,” “Tells the truth” and “Nøkk Truth Moon,” with tally marks underneath.
John Jones, who’s accused of starting the raging inferno that destroyed the South Bushwick Reformed Church on June 17, was allegedly found with a notebook (pictured) containing references to planned acts of violence, including a chart with sections labeled “murder them,” “kill them,” “stab them,” “make them pay,” “rape him,” “tells the truth” and “n0kk truth moon” and tally marks underneath. (U.S. DISTRICT COURT, EASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK)
“A number of the categories on this page also appear to include repeated (and sometimes misspelled) instances of the word ‘church,’” Assistant U.S. Attorney William Bristow wrote.
Jones is slated to be arraigned in Brooklyn Federal Court Friday.
FDNY firefighters are pictured at the scene of a three-alarm fire at South Bushwick Reformed Church on Bushwick Ave. in Brooklyn on Friday, June 19, 2026. (FDNY/X)
Bristow called Jones a danger to the community, writing, “The defendant’s apparent desire to burn down additional churches is corroborated by entries in a journal found in his possession at the time of his arrest on New York County charges on August 5, 2026.”
Police caught Jones at 1:39 a.m. Wednesday when he tried to steal a sandwich, a Coke Zero and a salad from a Times Square-area CVS on Broadway near W. 49th St., cops said.
John Jones is accused of starting the massive arson fire that gutted the historic South Bushwick Reformed Church on Bushwick Ave. in Brooklyn on Friday, June 19, 2026. (U.S. DISTRICT COURT, EASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK)
A man appearing to be Jones was caught on video lurking around the church and trying to get inside it the day of the blaze, according to the feds. He then walked a few blocks to a 99-cent store to buy a lighter, paying with coins, and returned to the church, according to a criminal complaint.
Built in 1853, the Bushwick Ave. and Himrod St. church was designated a city landmark in 1968. The congregation dates back to the Dutch colonial period in the 1600s, according to the National Fund for Sacred Spaces. It was one of only eight surviving wooden houses of worship in New York City officially landmarked by the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission.