A Brooklyn man faces a federal arson charge in a blaze that tore through a historic Bushwick church in June, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Wednesday in the Eastern District of New York.<\/p>\n
The U.S. attorney\u2019s office said John Jones, 24, intentionally set fire to the 173-year-old South Bushwick Reformed Church<\/a> on June 19 and caused significant damage.<\/p>\n Prosecutors said surveillance footage captured Jones buying a lighter at a nearby convenience store around midday. A photo taken about an hour later shows clouds of smoke billowing from the church’s steeple and flames on its facade. Security video also appears to show Jones approaching the church, an officer with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms said in the complaint.<\/p>\n Prosecutors said surveillance footage captured Jones buying a lighter at a nearby convenience store around midday.<\/p>\n Eastern District of New York criminal complaint.<\/p>\n \u201cThis defendant placed countless Brooklyn residents at risk when he recklessly set fire to the South Bushwick Reformed Church in broad daylight,\u201d NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a press release. \u201cNew Yorkers deserve to practice their faith freely and without fear, and the destruction of this sacred New York City landmark will be met with swift justice.\u201d<\/p>\n Jones has not yet appeared in court, and attorney information was not immediately available.<\/p>\n The Bushwick church was built in 1853 and added to the National Register of Historic Places<\/a> in 1982. New York City named the house of worship a local landmark in 1968<\/a>.<\/p>\n Historic photo of the Bushwick Reformed Church.<\/p>\n Courtesy, National Registry of Historic Places<\/p>\n The church\u2019s nomination to the National Register describes the building as \u201can unusual example of the survival of the 18th century Gibbs type of church design in a mid-19th century Greek Revival style frame church.\u201d The house of worship was adorned with \u201cgiant fluted Ionic columns,\u201d a tower and \u201clarge square windows,\u201d according to the nomination form.<\/p>\n Photos in the complaint show charred planks of wood scattered across the floor, with large portions of the roof exposed. Pastor James Steward told Gothamist after the fire that he expected the damage would pose a \u201cmajor financial blow\u201d to the congregation. A GoFundMe campaign has raised nearly $20,000 for repairs.<\/p>\n