Accused anti-Israel arsonist turns himself in for allegedly torching 10 NYPD vehicles ahead of protest: feds

An accused anti-Israel arsonist has turned himself in to authorities five weeks after allegedly torching 10 New York City Police Department (NYPD) vehicles and a police trailer, authorities announced Monday. 

Jakhi Lodgson-McCray, 21, of New Jersey, was identified in mid-June through forensics and video evidence, and the U.S. Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force “was hot on his trail” when he turned himself in without incident, accompanied by his lawyer and mother, at a food bazaar in Brooklyn to face federal arson charges, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced on Monday.

The NYPD has estimated the total replacement cost of the burned vehicles is over $800,000.

In requesting a detention order ahead of his initial court appearance, U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella of the Eastern District of New York noted McCray set fire to the NYPD vehicles the Thursday before protests were scheduled over the June 14-15 weekend, “thereby compromising NYPD resources to protect and secure the public.” 

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The day after the NYPD vehicles were torched, McCray was arrested for allegedly lighting Israeli and American flags on fire outside the Israeli consulate in midtown Manhattan on June 13. He hadn’t yet been identified as a suspect in the burning of the NYPD vehicles. McCray, therefore, was charged only with reckless endangerment, menacing and disorderly conduct at the time and was subsequently released. New York’s cashless bail law limits pre-trial detention for “non-violent” offenses. 

Federal prosecutors told the judge Monday that McCray’s alleged conduct “was extraordinarily dangerous,” asserting that lighting ten NYPD vehicles, as well as a trailer, on fire “in a populated area of Brooklyn shows a wanton disregard not only for NYPD officers who could have been near the scene and injured, but also for others in the area who could have been injured by the fires or involved in an accident.”

“The defendant’s criminal conduct caused law-abiding citizens to fear simply driving or walking around their community,” prosecutors wrote. 

“Given the nature of the crime charged, there is a statutory presumption of detention, and the defendant should be detained as he poses a significant danger to the community and a risk of flight,” they wrote. 

At approximately 12:52 a.m. on June 12, police said McCray was captured on surveillance video scaling the fence of a locked parking lot reserved for NYPD vehicles assigned to Brooklyn North. During the 32 minutes that he remained in the lot, 10 NYPD vehicles and one trailer were set on fire, according to the complaint. An officer came to inspect the lot at about 1:24 a.m. and witnessed McCray inside by the burning vehicles. McCray attempted to scale the fence to leave, but the officer blocked his route. 

McCray was forced to double back and then fled through an existing hole in the fence, court documents say.  

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“NYPD personnel discovered what appeared to be a cigar lighter torch and a pair of sunglasses in the portion of the lot where the defendant Jakhi McCray hopped the fence and made entry to the lot,” court documents say. “NYPD personnel also discovered that 22 retail fire starters consisting of 12 ‘jealous devil boom starters’ and 10 BBQ dragon egg fire starers were placed on 3 unburnt vehicles. These fire starters had not been left by NYPD personnel.” 

Court documents say McCray’s wallet and identification card can be seen on surveillance video when he paid for water about a 14-minute walk away from the NYPD lot around 1:51 a.m. He was wearing similar attire – a gray hooded sweatshirt and a blue surgical mask – seen in body-camera footage when he was arrested previously on May 19, investigators said. 

Federal prosecutors asked the judge to consider the strong weight of the evidence against McCray, as well as McCray’s criminal history, noting he was arrested for criminally reckless conduct in the recent past. 

On May 28, McCray was arrested for obstructing government administration, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest in connection with a demonstration. In May 2024, McCray was similarly arrested for resisting arrest, obstructing government administration, attempted assault in the third degree and disorderly conduct in connection with another demonstration, federal prosecutors said. 

The NYPD issued a press release on June 18 with photos of McCray to alert the public that he was wanted for arson. Instead of turning himself in, prosecutors said, McCray allegedly destroyed his cell phone in an effort to avoid arrest. 

“Nearly five weeks after committing the offense, the defendant ultimately self-surrendered after his lawyer and law enforcement coordinated in arranging his self-surrender,” the detention request said. 

While he remained on the lam, McCray skipped out on a June 18 court conference related to a separate case being prosecuted in Queens Criminal Court.

“The defendant’s failure to adhere to court scheduled conferences and his delay in surrendering clearly indicate that he is a flight risk,” federal prosecutors wrote.