A suspect is in police custody and has been charged with arson , after that allegedly set fire to the “All-American Christmas Tree” of 50 feet tall, facing Fox News Headquarters in downtown Manhattan, confirmed New York City Police Department.
Craig Tamanaha, a man from 49 year old , who is homeless, was observed by Fox security around 11: 14 am on Wednesday morning climbing the tree in “Fox Square”, located on Avenida de las Américas at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Calle 48, according to a NYPD spokesperson.
The office tower s of 44 floors houses News Corp., founded by Rupert Murdoch, and some of the media conglomerate’s high-profile assets, including the New York Post and the Wall Street Journal.
Fox security saw Tamanaha flee the scene and detained him without incident, the spokesman said, and the New York City Fire Department extinguished the blaze.
The cause of the fire will be determined by New York City fire marshals.
Tamanaha, who is in the custody of the New York Police Department in the north precinct of Midtown, has been charged with arson, criminal behavior, criminal nuisance, criminal tampering, breaking and entering, disorderly conduct and placing in reckless danger, the spokesman said.
Police said a lighter was taken from Tamanaha and it is unclear if any accelerators were used in the fire.
The videos on social networks showed the tree of 50 Feet engulfed in flames in Manhattan and its charred remains.
Plans to rebuild it are already underway.
In an update on the incident Wednesday morning, “Fox & Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade said the suspect “got into the tree” with what appeared to be “a piece of paper” and “Set everything on fire in a matter of seconds.”
Then a Fox security officer “knocked (the suspect) down to the ground,” Kilmeade said, before a broader presence of law enforcement, including police, firefighters and arson investigators, arrived at the scene.
“The police came from everywhere. Our security guys are fantastic. They were able to jump directly on him. Lots of retired detectives, “Kilmeade said.
The incident, he added,” is more than tragic and angers everyone. And that smoke, by the way, filled our entire lobby. ”
Co-host Steve Doocy said that, according to eyewitness accounts, the suspect climbed “about halfway up (the tree), because there is a metal superstructure underneath” , carrying “a bunch of newspapers under his arm.”
The suspect then set the newspapers on fire and “came down and watched it burn,” Doocy said.
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