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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
During a post-arrest interview for the latter incident, Jones \u201cadmitted to committing the church arson for which he has been charged in this case,\u201d according to a detention memo.<\/p>\n
\u201cFurthermore, the defendant stated that he had recently attempted to burn down a second church in Brooklyn, New York,\u201d prosecutors write.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/bushwick-church-fire-800x600.jpg\")
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\u2019s Office, Eastern District of New York)<\/p>\n
Built in the 1850s, the South Bushwick church was listed in 1982 on the National Register of Historic Places<\/a>, and designated in 1968 as a New York City landmark<\/a>. Its cross-street,\u00a0Himrod Street,\u00a0was named after the church\u2019s first pastor.<\/p>\n It was a two-story, clapboard-sided building that combined 19th-century Greek Revival and 18th-century Gibbsian classical styles, the National Register says:<\/p>\n The church also housed a Sunday school building \u2014 \u201ca classical design, centering on a three-bay pavilion projecting forward from the facade.\u201d<\/p>\n New York City\u2019s description cites the church\u2019s \u201csoaring tower\u201d as a dominant feature, writing, ominously in present reading, that its steeple\u00a0was modeled after those that were destroyed in the 1666 Great Fire of London.<\/p>\n The church has set up a GoFundMe<\/a> drive raising money to rebuild.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cSouth 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\u2019s history and the spiritual life of countless families,\u201d Steward said in an emailed statement.<\/p>\n \u201cAlthough 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Our weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/south-bushwick-reformed-church-800x600.jpg\")
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)<\/p>\n
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