A suspected firebug accused of torching a 173-year-old Brooklyn church reportedly met his match in the snack aisle, where a simple shoplifting stop may have cracked open a far bigger case, as reported [1] by The New York Post.
John Jones, 24, was taken into custody after an off-duty NYPD officer working security at a Midtown CVS allegedly spotted him trying to walk out with a turkey sandwich, donuts, and a Coke, sources said.
The late-night incident unfolded around 1:39 a.m. at the CVS on Broadway, where Jones allegedly attempted to help himself to a free meal. That plan, not exactly a criminal masterclass, quickly collapsed.
Once the officer detained him, police ran Jones through the system and discovered he was wanted on a warrant tied to the fire that gutted the South Bushwick Reformed Church, sources said.
Authorities had already been looking at Jones as the alleged arsonist behind the June 19 blaze, a three-alarm fire that ripped through the historic house of worship and left devastation behind.
The church was not some forgettable building tucked away on a random corner. It was a landmarked Brooklyn institution dating back 173 years, with generations of history inside its walls.
The fire destroyed the church’s historic spire and gutted much of the interior, leaving congregants suddenly without a place to worship. For a community built around faith, that loss hit far beyond bricks, pews, and stained glass.
The 173-year-old South Bushwick Church in NYC just completely burned to the ground. Cause unknown, no foul play suspected. pic.twitter.com/dbdvG9whNB [2]
— D. Scott @eclipsethis2003 (@eclipsethis2003) June 21, 2026 [3]
Activists also said the blaze destroyed thousands of artifacts, adding another layer of damage to a case already soaked in destruction. History, worship, and neighborhood memory were all reduced to ash.
According to sources, investigators had surveillance footage showing the alleged culprit fleeing the church not long before flames broke out. That kind of timing tends to get law enforcement’s attention, even in a city where chaos is too often treated like background noise.
Jones is also expected to face unspecified federal charges in the Eastern District of New York, sources said. A federal complaint against him was expected to be unsealed Wednesday.
That suggests prosecutors may be preparing to treat the church fire as more than a routine local arson case. When a historic house of worship is allegedly targeted and destroyed, federal authorities tend to have questions.
Jones was not only on police radar for the church fire, according to sources. He was also hit with criminal mischief charges after allegedly smashing a television at DOC Wine, a Williamsburg restaurant, on June 28.
That incident caused about $900 in damages, sources said. Apparently, the alleged pattern here was not exactly subtle, with destruction following close behind.
It remained unclear from the available information exactly what charges Jones faced in connection with the latest arrest. Still, the sequence of events was striking enough on its own.
A suspect wanted in a major church arson investigation was not brought in after some dramatic manhunt or elaborate sting. He was reportedly caught because an alert cop noticed a late-night grab for donuts and a sandwich.
Credit where it is due, that off-duty officer did what too many big city officials pretend is no longer necessary. He paid attention to the small crime, and it may have led police straight to a suspect in a very big one.
For ordinary New Yorkers, the case is another reminder that so-called minor disorder is not harmless. Sometimes the guy allegedly shoplifting at CVS is also the man authorities suspect of burning down a historic church.
The South Bushwick Reformed Church is now left to deal with the wreckage of a fire that tore through nearly two centuries of history. Its congregation is left waiting for justice while prosecutors prepare the next step.
Jones, meanwhile, was reportedly undone by donuts. In a city drowning in excuses for criminals, it took one watchful officer and one very dumb alleged theft to bring a major suspect into custody.