Man brings gas cans, lighters to New York cathedral

Police on Wednesday arrested a New Jersey man who entered St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City with two cans of gasoline, lighter fluid, and butane lighters, according to the New York Police Department. The unidentified 37-year-old man drove up to the landmark structure in downtown Manhattan in a minivan, walked around the area, then returned to his vehicle at 7:55 p.m. to retrieve the gasoline and lighter fluid, said John Miller, the NYPD deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism. The man said he was cutting through the cathedral and his car was out of gas. When police confirmed his car had fuel, they took him into custody. Days earlier, a fire devastated the 12th-century Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

“It’s hard to say exactly what his intentions were, but I think the totality of circumstances of an individual walking into an iconic location like St. Patrick’s Cathedral carrying over four gallons of gasoline, two bottles of lighter fluid and lighters, is something that we would have great concern over,” Miller said. He said the suspect is known to police, who are looking into his background.