Man charged with setting fire to Fox News Christmas tree in NY

2 years ago 360

Police person arrested a antheral they accidental is liable for mounting occurrence to a Christmas histrion extracurricular of the News Corp office successful New York City.

WABC-TV and WPIX-TV successful New York study that the Christmas histrion located extracurricular of the gathering astatine 48th Street and Sixth Avenue successful Manhattan that houses Fox News studios caught occurrence conscionable aft midnight aboriginal Wednesday morning.

Bystander video shows the apical fractional of the tremendous histrion connected fire.

Firefighters were aboriginal capable to extinguish the blaze, and nary injuries were reported.

The NYPD has confirmed that it has arrested a 49-year-old antheral successful transportation with the fire.

Both WABC and WPIX person identified the fishy arsenic Craig Tamanaha and accidental helium has been charged with transgression mischief, reckless endangerment, arson, transgression nuisance (endangering others), transgression tampering and disorderly conduct.

According to WABC, constabulary accidental the antheral was capable to standard the "metal superstructure" of the artificial tree, acceptable occurrence to papers that helium had brought with him and shove the flaming papers into the tree.

Earlier this morning, a 49-year-old antheral climbed a Christmas histrion astatine 48 St & 6th Ave successful Manhattan & lit a occurrence causing the histrion to go engulfed successful flames. The occurrence was extinguished & responding officers arrested the suspect, who has been charged for this crime. pic.twitter.com/IeYwG8B5bj

— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) December 8, 2021

After the fishy climbed down, helium was spotted by gathering security. Police officers posted astatine adjacent Rockefeller Center were capable to way down the fishy and marque the arrest. The fishy was reportedly carrying a lighter with him astatine the clip of his arrest.

Police did not remark connected a imaginable motive, but NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea told WABC that the fishy is "an idiosyncratic that is known to us," and that helium has "a bid of low-level arrests and cause arrest."

The histrion was archetypal lit successful a televised ceremonial connected Sunday evening. According to Fox News, the 50-foot histrion was decorated with 10,000 solid ornaments and 100,000 lights. They added that it took 21 hours to assemble the tree.