New York City Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch posted on X on Monday, July 21 that Jackhi Lodgson-McCray of Maplewood, who had been on the run since June 12 when he was identified as a suspect in the intentional fires of 11 NYPD vehicles in Brooklyn, turned himself in.
In her post, Tisch said that the NYPD, the ATF New York and the FDNY had “identified Mr. Lodgson-McCray in mid-June through forensics and video evidence” and the US Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force was “hot on his trail when he turned himself in to face federal arson charges, accompanied by his lawyer and his mother.”
“To anyone who would think to harm our members or our property, I ask you to take a moment to reflect on the morning that Mr. Lodgson-Cray just had…”
According to the NYPD, at approximately 1 a.m. on June 12, the suspect climbed over a gate and entered the parking lot near Dekalb Avenue and Central Ave. “He then placed fire starters on the windshields, hoods and tires of multiple NYPD vehicles. A fire ignited, causing severe damage to 11 NYPD vehicles. The individual felt the location on foot, heading northbound on Hart Avenue. No injuries were reported,” the NYPD stated stated in a release at the time.
At a press conference in June, police said Lodgson-McCray was also wanted for criminal mischief for an incident in connection to a Free Palestine protest at Columbia University, where police allege he disguised himself as a student and caused damage to a statue. But Tisch’s post made no mention of any charges related to that.
McCray, a 21-year-old Columbia High School graduate, was an alternate student representative on the Board of Education in 2020-21.
From the NYPD’s instagram account in June: “Jakhi Lodgson-McCray is wanted for setting fire to NYPD vehicles on June 12 in Brooklyn, causing significant damage. There is zero tolerance for anyone who attacks the NYPD.”
