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Accused arsonist turns himself in for allegedly torching 10 NYPD vehicles

Posted on by neversleep

July 21, 2025

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.

Jakhi Lodgson-McCray, 21, of New Jersey, was identified in mid-June through forensics and video evidence.

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.”

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.

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.

“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.

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.

Found on mainstream news.

Four Detainees Escape Newark ICE Facility

Posted on by neversleep

June 13, 2025

Four detainees at an ICE detention center in Newark, N.J., have escaped, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

U.S. Sen. Andy Kim of New Jersey, a Democrat, told reporters on Friday that the men escaped by knocking down a wall composed of drywall and mesh material. The escape occurred amid unrest among the detainees who weren’t receiving enough food and subjected to other poor conditions in the detention center, he said.

Kim, who visited the detention center Friday and got a briefing from officials, told reporters the facility is undergoing a major security review to find out if other walls could be breached.

Immigration attorney Mustafa Cetin said a client of his held at the facility called him Thursday evening and said detainees were knocking things down and blocking security cameras. Cetin said his client reported seeing some detainees knock down a wall and escape.

“Less than a month and a half since this facility opened, we now have learned that there are chronic food shortages, undrinkable water, crumbling mesh walls, and inadequate staffing that led to the chaos that devolved yesterday,” executive director Amy Torres said.

The Delaney Hall detention center has been the site of a standoff between GEO Group and city officials and pro-immigrant groups that oppose the operation of the jail. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, a Democrat who is running for governor, was arrested at the facility in May after he attempted to inspect the facility at the invitation of members of congress.

Found on mainstream news.

Another NYC protest against ICE raids ends with arrests

Posted on by neversleep

June 12, 2025

Another protest against federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids ended with arrests in Lower Manhattan on Wednesday.

Protesters returned to the federal immigration courts for a second night of demonstrations in solidarity with the protests in Los Angeles, where President Trump has deployed the National Guard and Marines despite objections from the city’s mayor and California’s governor.

Wednesday’s protest began as a peaceful gathering in the afternoon.

Protesters later marched to the federal immigration courts, where they again clashed with New York City Police officers and arrests ensued. Police said two people were charged and eight were issued summonses.

Nearly 3 dozen arrested during Tuesday’s protest

A protest Tuesday night in New York City turned violent and ended with dozens arrested. 

Thousands came out Tuesday night for what started as a peaceful protest that then devolved into a tense and at times violent scene. Some 86 people were taken into custody, and 34 of them were arrested on charges that include disorderly conduct.

“They decided to throw items, garbage cans, rocks, bricks, anything that basically wasn’t nailed down, they were picking it up and throwing it, and they were putting debris in the street so that the vehicles couldn’t pass.”

Video taken Tuesday shows what appears to be federal officers deploying some type of gas onto the crowd of protesters outside immigration court.

Found on mainstream news.

NYPD vehicles torched in suspected arson attack as cops find undetonated explosive devices nearby

Posted on by neversleep

Admin note: the communique for this action can be found here.

June 12, 2025

Arsonists torched at least 11 NYPD vehicles in a targeted attack in a Brooklyn parking lot early Thursday — with undetonated explosive devices also found after two masked suspects were seen running away, police and sources said.

Police and FDNY responded to a report of multiple vehicles ablaze at a lot in Bushwick at the intersection of Central and DeKalb avenues — just a block from the 83rd Precinct station house — around 1:30 a.m. Thursday.

Mayor Eric Adams said at an unrelated press conference that 11 vehicles were damaged and 14 were impacted. No injuries were reported.

Cops also discovered three incendiary devices that did not go off placed on cars in the lot soon after two people wearing masks and gloves were seen running away, sources said. 

Photos from the scene obtained by [news source] show spheres with wicks sticking out above a tire on the cars — similar to fire starters that can be bought at Home Depot.

Video obtained by [news source] from an adjacent building shows one of the suspects in all black walking up to the Central Ave side of the lot. He then sets up a wooden table, checks if the coast was clear, and throws himself over the fence, the video shows.

“He used that wooden table there. He put it right here in the corner and he held on to this gate on the side and then climbed over. You could see in the video, you could see him pretty clear,” resident Miriam Benado, a retired housekeeper, said.

She said the man was “short and slim” and wearing all black. Benado assumes that he lives somewhere in the neighborhood “by the way he knew where everything was.”

“When the cops were trying to get into the gate, he didn’t panic and run back to where he came in. He knew where the back alley was … Most people don’t know that that even exists,” she said.

Nick Lopez, who lives directly across the street from the parking lot, said he realized immediately the fire “wasn’t a coincidence,” and described hearing the loud explosions as the cars burned.

The NYPD did not immediately give a suspected motive for the attack, however a flyer taped to a wall directly across from the police station accuses officers of the 83rd precinct of breaking up Puerto Rican Day festivities on Sunday night, injuring revelers.

The fliers called for resistance against the police, and tied in the anti-ICE and protests have spread from Los Angeles to New York City and global anti-Israel protests.

“Now is the time for unified, disciplined action — from Palestine to Puerto Rico to Los Angeles, the struggle for freedom continues,” the flier read.

Although no connection has yet to be made by cops, the attack was celebrated by one passerby walking past the scene early Thursday calling it “awesome” and “f–king rad.”

Mayor Adams said the “damage is unacceptable and we will find the person involved.”

“We refuse to allow disorder to reign in our city” he added.

Found on mainstream news.

Federal agents briefly detain aide at New York Rep. Jerry Nadler’s office during nearby protests against migrant detentions

Posted on by neversleep

June 1, 2025

Federal agents with the Department of Homeland Security handcuffed and briefly detained a staff member in New York Rep. Jerry Nadler’s Manhattan district office on Wednesday, according to a statement released by the congressman.

Video taken by a person inside Nadler’s office shows one of his aides being handcuffed by an agent with the Federal Protective Service while another agent tries to access an area inside the office.

In the footage, a second staffer stands in front of the agent and asks if he has a warrant. “You’re harboring rioters in the office,” the federal agent is heard telling her, before walking in. In the background, the handcuffed aide is heard crying while someone tries to comfort her.

The agents allegedly entered Nadler’s office because they were told protesters were present and the agents “were concerned about the safety” of employees in the office, the Department of Homeland Security told [news source] in a statement on Saturday.

Activists on Wednesday were protesting outside of Varick Immigration Court — located on a different floor of the same building as Nadler’s office — in opposition to the detention of migrants at the courthouse by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

Upon the officers’ arrival, they identified themselves and said they were conducting a security check when “one individual became verbally confrontational and physically blocked access to the office,” the statement said.

“The officers then detained the individual in the hallway for the purpose of completing the security check. All were released without further incident,” DHS said.

Robert Gottheim, Nadler’s chief of staff, told [news source] on Sunday the Department of Homeland Security’s version of events was a “total fabrication.”

The incident occurred as the Trump administration has taken extraordinary measures to crack down on immigration, aggressively pressuring Immigration and Customs Enforcement to pick up the pace of migrant arrests and touting mass deportation plans.

Nadler called the incident “deeply troubling” in a Saturday statement and confirmed Department of Homeland Security officers “forcefully” entered his office and handcuffed the staff member.

“President Trump and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are sowing chaos in our communities, using intimidation tactics against both citizens and non-citizens in a reckless and dangerous manner,” he said.

“If this can happen in a Member of Congress’s office, it can happen to anyone – and it is happening,” Nadler said.

Gottheim said the agents appeared “upset” because members of Nadler’s staff witnessed the officers detaining migrants inside the building, and because staffers had invited advocates who saw the detentions to the congressman’s office.

Court watchers, advocates and some members of Nadler’s staff had gathered on the fifth floor, which houses the immigration court, to observe court activity following reports that immigration officers were detaining migrants after their immigration appointments.

Staff members noticed ICE officers were in the lobby holding sheets of paper with pictures of asylum seekers who were coming in for their hearings, Gottheim said.

“Really what happened is we have these ICE officers who are working with Federal Protective Services, upset that we are watching them, seeing what they’re doing, and that we invited these other people who were observing back to our office,” Gottheim told [news source].

Officers ignored staffers’ requests to see a warrant, he added.

“They push their way into the office, even though my staff doesn’t want them in,” Gottheim said. “They had no right to be in the office, and there’s no exigent circumstances of why they would have come: We didn’t call them for assistance, there was no riot, there was no protest going on in the office.”

Nadler was not in the office at the time of the incident but arrived shortly after his staff called him to alert him to what was unfolding.

The aide was still detained when he arrived, according to Gottheim, but Nadler spoke with the officers and helped defuse the situation so that the staffer could be released.

Found on mainstream news.

Protesters rally at Albany airport against Avelo Airlines’ ICE contract

Posted on by neversleep

May 31, 2025

Over 100 protesters gathered in the rain near Albany International Airport on the corner of Albany Shaker Road and Wolf Grove to demand that Avelo Airlines sever its ties with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The protest was part of a nationwide demonstration in nearly 30 cities against the airline’s involvement in deportation flights.

Earlier this week, Senator Pat Fahy introduced the Safe Air Act, which aims to ban deportation flights in New York State on commercial airlines contracted by ICE without a judicial warrant, legal counsel, and an immigration hearing. The act would also remove an existing sales tax exemption on jet fuel for airlines that participate in such flights.

Senator Fahy noted that Avelo operates at four New York airports and mentioned that, to her knowledge, Avelo deportation flights are currently taking off from Texas and Arizona.

Found on mainstream news.

Brooklyn College protest ends with more than a dozen in custody

Posted on by neversleep

May 9, 2025

More than a dozen people were taken into custody during a protest at Brooklyn College on Thursday.

The NYPD said seven people were arrested, and seven others were issued summonses. 

Video showed demonstrators on the school’s quad near eight tents. The protesters had Palestinian flags and several banners, including one reading, “Stop cop city. Free Palestine.”

The protest happened one day after dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators were arrested after occupying a room in Columbia University’s Butler Library.

Found on mainstream news.

Police and anti-ICE protesters clash outside immigration court in New York

Posted on by neversleep

May 29, 2025

The Department of Homeland Security said a demonstrator attempted to disrupt a federal immigration arrest in New York City on Wednesday.

Nearly two dozen anti-ICE protesters were also detained in another part of the city later that day. 

Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told [news source] that ICE agents contacted Federal Protective Service (FPS) on Wednesday morning and “requested assistance as their officers were conducting arrests” in the lobby of a federal immigration court building.

McLaughlin said FPS officers responded and saw several protesters filming and taking pictures of law enforcement personnel in the lobby. She said that at approximately 11:45 a.m. a person attempted to forcibly interfere with ICE agents attempting to place someone in custody.

McLaughlin said ICE reported the incident to FPS as “an assault on one of their officers.” The person was briefly taken into custody, issued a U.S. district court violation notice and released, according to McLaughlin.

Later that day, nearly two dozen anti-ICE protesters were detained by the New York Police Department outside a federal building in Manhattan on Wednesday night after a chaotic protest led to police struggling with demonstrators.

Protests erupted into chaos as officers and members of the crowd clashed over barricades. Protesters were taken into custody for charges that include obstruction of government administration.

“People say, ‘Oh, let them come in legally,’ and when they try to come in legally and follow court proceedings they’re being kidnapped,” a woman named Mariposa said.

The demonstrations happened hours after witnesses reported several people were taken into custody inside the ICE field office in SoHo.

“I’ve never seen anything like this. I’ve been working here for a couple years and I’ve never seen this many agents, let alone agents dressed in plain clothes, wearing masks, pulling people out of line. It’s totally out of the ordinary,” a man named Ben said.

Found on mainstream news.

ICE detention of New York City public school student sparks protests

Posted on by neversleep

May 30, 2025

There is growing outrage over the detention of a young Venezuelan immigrant who advocates say was duped into giving up his asylum status.

The 20-year-old New York City public school student named Dylan was taken into custody by ICE agents who were waiting after a hearing in federal immigration court.

The outrage reached the steps of the city’s education department in Lower Manhattan Thursday evening, where demonstrators rallied and demanded Dylan’s release.

“Dylan has been tricked, trapped and kidnapped,” said immigrant rights activist Power Malu. “He was doing everything the right way.”

Malu has been in touch with Dylan’s mother, who’s now in hiding.

In just eight days, ICE has shuttled Dylan around to four different states across the country, including as far away as Texas. He’s now locked up in western Pennsylvania.

Earlier Thursday, demonstrators held a vigil outside immigration court. It was the same federal building where Dylan was taken into custody last week.

Clergy and immigrants’ rights activists circled the building, marching in silent protest over the nation’s deportation agenda — policies they insist are racist and inhumane.

“Nothing can change unless the people stand up, we know that what we are doing is on the right side of justice, soon people will understand this and will stand up,” said Ravi Raragbir with New Sanctuary Coalition.

Unlike others arrested in the city earlier this year, Dylan had no criminal record and was in the U.S. legally. He, his mother and his siblings had been granted temporary protected status (TPS) under the Biden Administration’s asylum program.

Found on mainstream news.

New York GOP headquarters defaced with Nazi imagery

Posted on by neversleep

April 30, 2025

The New York state Republican Party’s Albany headquarters was vandalized and defaced with Nazi imagery for the second time this month as GOP leaders criticized Democrats for ratcheting up political tensions.

Vandals taped swastikas to the doors and windows of the GOP’s offices and a message that read, “If this is not what you stand for, prove it,” according to the Albany Police Department, which is investigating the crimes. It was the second such incident at the party’s headquarters in the past two weeks, authorities said. No arrests have been made.

New York GOP chairman Ed Cox blasted the “hateful vandalism,” saying it “invites political violence and threatens the wellbeing of our employees and guests.”

“This is not only an attack on our party, it is also an attack on the values of civil discourse, democracy and decency.”

Found on mainstream news.