More Arson? Investigators Sift Through Ashes at Landmark 173-Year-Old Church Searching for Clues
Days after police arrested an illegal immigrant in connection with multiple arson attempts at houses of worship, new reports say a fire that destroyed an historic church in June is being investigated as a potential arson attack.
The South Bushwick Reformed Church in Brooklyn was destroyed by fire on June 19.
A report in the New York Post said that video from the scene indicated what police are calling a person of interest fled the scene shortly before the fire broke out.
No official cause for the fire has been determined.
🚨 BREAKING: A 173-year-old historic church in New York City has been engulfed by a massive fire.
The iconic South Bushwick Reformed Church suffered catastrophic damage as its steeple collapsed into the flames.
A piece of history gone in hours.
Cause of the fire remains… pic.twitter.com/yBQGNPTbTO
— Silent Observer (@YousufPash69914) June 20, 2026
Investigators are examining the mountain of debris from the fire in an effort to determine the cause, according to Fox News.
The investigation comes as police took Yogesh Sayrange, 36, into custody in relation to a string of arson attacks on houses of worship.
Police are seeking to determine if the church arsons in June should be linked to Sayrange.
Sayrange is accused of attacking Iglesia Bautista El Mesias in the Ozone Park area. Video shows a man throwing a Molotov cocktail at the church.
Federal prosecutors described Yogesh Sayrange, 36, as a citizen of Guyana who is living in the U.S. illegally, although he insisted he has a DACA renewal case in progress [one doesn’t contradict the other].
The Queens resident was arrested Thursday for firebombing a smoke shop… https://t.co/b3PvGEgN2I
— Crime In NYC (@Crime_In_NYC) July 10, 2026
Not long after the first attack, a Molotov cocktail was thrown at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Woodhaven.
Sayrange has also been linked to a Molotov cocktail being thrown at an ambulance service building in Woodhaven.
He is currently being investigated in connection with a total of seven arson incidents that took place in June and July, most concerning houses of worship, according to WABC-TV.
Sayrange is a Guyanese national who was in the United States illegally.
BREAKING: Illegal immigrant has been arrested after firebombing 2 churches in New York City.
Yogesh Sayrange, a Guyanese citizen who is living in the U.S. illegally, has pending criminal cases involving threats with a knife and an ax.
Federal authorities were already searching… pic.twitter.com/pSKGfHnMog
— I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸 (@ImMeme0) July 9, 2026
Officials said that Sayrange had told investigators he had an application pending to renew his status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program created by former President Barack Obama.
Sayrange has other pending criminal cases.
Police claim he threatened a person on June 12 with a metal knuckle knife. On June 16, police allege he waved an axe at a man and threatened to cut off his head.
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