by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
NEW YORK (Worthy News) – Police have detained a 36-year-old man accused of carrying out a series of Molotov cocktail attacks against churches in New York City.
Yogesh Sayrange allegedly carried out the attacks in the Queens borough of America’s largest city, the New York Police Department announced.
He is accused of throwing an incendiary device at the front door of the Iglesia Bautista El Mesias church on 75th Street in the Ozone Park neighborhood shortly after 11:35 p.m. local time Wednesday, officials disclosed.
Police say the suspect then traveled to a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses on 78th Street in Woodhaven, where he allegedly threw a second Molotov cocktail.
CHURCHES TARGETED
That device also bounced off the door and exploded on the ground without damaging the building, according to investigators.
Separately, police linked the suspect to a third attack at an ambulette company parking lot on Rockaway Boulevard in the Cypress Hills area. Authorities determined that an incendiary device landed where mechanics were working late, but no significant damage was reported.
Surveillance video reviewed by Worthy News appeared to show a man throwing a Molotov cocktail toward a church. Officials stressed that no major damage or injuries were reported in any of the incidents.
“I have no words because…we have no enemies. The church is growing. I cannot say anything because we have no enemies, so I don’t know where this is coming from,” recalled Alex Garcia, pastor of Iglesia Bautista El Mesias, a Baptist church.
SURVEILLANCE VIDEO
Investigators explained that surveillance footage showed the suspect, dressed in a hooded sweatshirt, calmly speaking with several people before allegedly lighting and throwing an improvised incendiary device at the church entrance.
Authorities added that the Molotov cocktail struck the front door, bounced away, and exploded on the ground without igniting the building.
Police believe the suspect then drove to the nearby Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, where investigators allege he threw another Molotov cocktail that also failed to ignite the structure.
Witnesses at the third location remembered hearing what sounded like a small explosion before discovering flames on the ground.
NO INJURIES REPORTED
“We heard like a little bang. I went outside. The floor was on fire,” one eyewitness recalled. “A couple of minutes later, I looked down the block, and the police were all over the place.”
Authorities confirmed that no injuries were reported in any of the three attacks.
Neighbors described the incidents as especially disturbing because many children regularly play in the affected area.
Police later located and arrested Sayrange, recovering two additional Molotov cocktails from a bag he was carrying, investigators revealed.
INVESTIGATION CONTINUES
Charges against the suspect were pending as detectives and prosecutors continued their investigation.
Garcia welcomed the swift police response, noting that he was prepared to provide investigators with additional surveillance footage if needed.
Officials stressed that detectives are still working to determine a motive for the attacks, including whether the churches and Kingdom Hall were specifically targeted because of their religious significance or whether another motive was involved.
Police also confirmed that Sayrange had already been sought by federal investigators in connection with a separate firebombing in Brooklyn last month before his arrest Thursday.
The incidents come amid ongoing concerns about attacks on churches across the United States. In recent years, Christian churches have been targeted in acts of arson, vandalism, shootings, and other violence. The attacks have prompted many congregations to strengthen security, while church leaders and others continue calling for greater protection of places of worship and the freedom to worship safely.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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