Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, a complaint was unsealed charging Jakhi McCray with arson for setting 10 New York City Police Department vehicles and a trailer on fire in a locked parking lot. McCray was arrested today and will make his initial appearance this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Vera M. Scanlon.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Bryan Miller, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, New York Division (ATF); Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD); and Robert S. Tucker, Commissioner, New York Fire Department (FDNY) announced the arrest.
“This destructive act of arson was deliberate, dangerous, and deeply disruptive,” said United States Attorney Nocella. “Setting police vehicles ablaze is not a form of protest—it is a federal crime. Our Office will not tolerate violence or destruction that undermines law enforcement efforts to ensure public safety and will prosecute this individual to the fullest extent of the law.”
Mr. Nocella also expressed his thanks to the ATF-NYPD Arson & Explosives Task Force, the FDNY Marshalls, and the United States Marshalls Services NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force for their valuable contribution to the case.
“Intentionally setting fire to police vehicles is a dangerous criminal act and a direct threat to public safety. The ATF Arson and Explosives Task Force — which includes ATF, the NYPD, and FDNY — is fully committed to identifying and bringing to justice anyone responsible for these dangerous and unlawful acts. This arrest demonstrates our shared resolve and unified approach to protecting our communities. We are grateful to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, U.S. Marshals Service NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force, the NYPD and the FDNY for their continued partnership in pursuing justice,” stated ATF Special Agent in Charge Miller.
“The arson attack against New York City Police Department vehicles in Bushwick, Brooklyn was as cowardly as it was criminal,” stated NYPD Commissioner Tisch. “The defendant in this case may have wanted to send a message – but all he did was mobilize the full force of the NYPD, the ATF, and the FDNY to identify, locate, and arrest him. Now, through the work of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, he will face much-deserved justice. Thank you to all the NYPD detectives, as well as our law enforcement partners, who closed this case.”
“Burning a police vehicle is an intolerable crime that could have killed a police officer,” stated FDNY Commissioner Tucker. “We are grateful to our FDNY Fire Marshals for their role in investigating this crime, and our partners in law enforcement for their assistance in identifying the suspect. Arson is a serious crime that must be punished.”
According to the complaint, at 12:52 a.m. on June 12, 2025, McCray was recorded on surveillance video scaling a fence into a secure private lot for reserve NYPD vehicles assigned to precincts in northern Brooklyn. The lot contained numerous NYPD vehicles and was located on DeKalb Avenue between Wilson Avenue and Central Avenue in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn. McCray remained in the lot for approximately 32 minutes, during which he lit 10 NYPD vehicles and one trailer on fire.
At approximately 1:24 a.m., an NYPD officer arrived to inspect the lot. As he approached, the officer saw the fire and observed McCray attempting to escape by scaling a fence, then fleeing through an existing hole in the fence. Subsequently, NYPD personnel recovered at the scene a cigar lighter torch and a pair of sunglasses. They also discovered 22 retail fire starters and 10 BBQ dragon egg fire starters that were placed under three undamaged vehicles. It was later determined that the sunglasses had McCray’s fingerprints on them. The vehicles were ignited two days before protests were scheduled to be held over the June 14-15, 2025 weekend. The NYPD has estimated that the total replacement cost of for the damaged vehicles is over $800,000.
The charge in the complaint is an allegation, and McCray is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, McCray faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment and a maximum of 20 years in prison.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Section. Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca M. Urquiola is in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
JAKHI MCCRAY
Age: 21
Brooklyn, New York
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-MJ-238