Brooklyn man charged with allegedly setting fire to NYPD car in Williamsburg

June 15, 2020 Rob Abruzzese

A homeless man from Brooklyn was arrested and charged by federal prosecutors after he allegedly set an empty NYPD car on fire in front of 259 Devoe St. in Williamsburg. Screenshot via Google Maps

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A homeless man from Brooklyn was charged in federal court on Thursday with setting an NYPD car that was parked on the street in Williamsburg on fire early in the morning on June 2.

“Under the cover of pre-dawn darkness, Rodriguez allegedly set fire to a vehicle bearing an NYPD placard on a residential block in Brooklyn, endangering innocent residents of the area and first responders to the blaze and damaging a second vehicle,” stated United States Attorney Richard Donoghue.

No people were harmed during the blaze, which allegedly occurred on Devoe Street near Judge Street, but prosecutors have claimed that a second car was damaged.

Prosecutors claim to have video that shows a person standing in front of 259 Devoe St. on June 2 at approximately 4:30 a.m. He was wearing a face mask as he poured an unknown liquid on the windshield of the car, then placed cardboard over the windshield and lit the cardboard on fire using a lighter. The person then allegedly put “rubbish” in the passenger side of the vehicle and lit that on fire.

This person then allegedly watched as the car caught on fire and then took photographs on a cellphone.

Law enforcement arrested the defendant after a witness responded on June 8 to a media release, mistakenly identifying the person only as “Justin” and showing officers where he allegedly slept.

On June 10, officers could not find “Justin,” but by the next day, in a different location nearby, a member of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, along with other law enforcement officers, found two lighters, a cell phone and a newspaper article about the car fire.

On June 11, officers found an individual they claim “strongly resembles” Justin three blocks away from where he allegedly usually sleeps, according to the criminal complaint. After a photograph was shown to the witness, who confirmed that it was Justin, officers arrested the defendant. Officers claim that the defendant responded to the name of “Justin” when he was approached.

The defendant was arraigned on Thursday in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Roanne Mann and was ordered detained pending trial. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.