A landmark church from the 1850s, a lighter, and 18 minutes

What happened

The South Bushwick Reformed Church on Bushwick Avenue in Brooklyn was built in the 1850s. It was a New York City landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. On the afternoon of June 19, 2026, a fire grew to three alarms and destroyed it. More than 190 firefighters and EMS personnel responded. No one was inside, and no serious injuries were reported.

A federal complaint unsealed in August lays out the timeline investigators built from surveillance video. At 12:12 p.m., a camera on Bushwick Avenue allegedly recorded a man trying to get into the church. He couldn’t, and he left. Around 12:30 p.m., a camera inside a nearby convenience store recorded him buying a lighter. Just before 1:30 p.m., a witness photographed the church in flames. Investigators say the photo showed the fire had started low and burned upward. The FDNY ruled it arson.

On August 5, 24-year-old John Jones of Brooklyn was arrested and charged with federal arson. He faces up to 20 years if convicted. The charges are allegations.

What safety teams can take from it

• Weekday afternoons are a gap. This happened in the middle of a weekday, when the building was empty. Think about who, if anyone, is watching your property between services.
• Cameras solve crimes, and good ones can prevent them. Cameras on the street and in a store built this case. Point your cameras at entrances and at the outside walls where someone could start a fire, and record to storage someone can actually get to.
• A failed entry attempt is a warning. The suspect tried to get in first. Doors that were checked and locked may have kept the fire outside. Treat signs of tampering at doors as a reason to call police and increase patrols.
• Clear what can burn from the outside walls. Dumpsters, pallets, mulch and trash cans next to the building give an arsonist fuel. Move them away from the walls.
• Check your insurance and records. Historic buildings can’t be replaced. Keep photos, building plans and an inventory stored off-site, and review your coverage for older structures.