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- 14-year-old boy arrested in Manhattan synagogue arson investigation
14-year-old boy arrested in Manhattan synagogue arson investigation
Police reportedly do not believe fire was a hate crim,e
A 14-year-old boy was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of starting a massive fire that left smoldering ashes of what had been a historic Manhattan synagogue, law enforcement officials told NBC 4 New York.
The sources told the news outlet that the youth was arrested on a charge of third-degree arson and that he lived not far from the synagogue. They added that investigators do not believe the arson to be a hate crime.
The arrest came after NYPD officials said there was video evidence related to the investigation, with authorities saying three young people were seen fleeing the fire.
The 3-alarm fire broke out at 7 PM. on Sunday and it took nearly two hours to bring the flames under control. There were no injuries but the massive fire left plumes of smoke wafting over lower Manhattan.
The Congregation Beth Hamedrash Hagadol synagogue in the Lower East Side was first built in 1850 as a church, then converted a few years later to Jewish use. The building was landmarked in 1967.
A former rabbi who led the congregation for three decades, Rabbi Mendel Greenbaum, said all Torahs and religious artifacts were safe and intact. The building had been abandoned in 2007 due to dwindling synagogue membership.
The congregation lacked the funds to repair damage from an earlier fire. In 2013, the synagogue submitted an application to the Landmark Preservation Commission to demolish the building, according to AM New York.
But recently, the congregation had been trying to save the building and was in the “final steps” of meeting with city inspectors and officials to raise funds and save the building.