A Brooklyn man on Wednesday pleaded guilty to setting fire to and damaging New York City Police Department vehicles in a Bushwick parking lot in June 2025.
Jakhi McCray, 22, pleaded guilty to committing arson of 10 NYPD vehicles and one trailer in the police lot of the 83rd Precinct., according to Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
On June 12, 2025, McCray scaled a fence into a secure, private lot on DeKalb Avenue between Wilson Avenue and Central Avenue in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn that housed NYPD vehicles, and intentionally set on fire 10 NYPD vehicles and one trailer, according to prosecutors. Shortly thereafter, an NYPD officer assigned to inspect the lot saw the fire and observed McCray escaping through a hole in the fence.
McCray ultimately self-surrendered on July 21, 2025. NYPD estimates the arson caused over $800,000 in damages. The arson was committed two days before protests were scheduled to be conducted over the June 14-15, 2025 weekend, compromising NYPD resources to protect and secure the public, prosecutors said.
“The defendant’s actions were not only dangerous, but they were also a direct attack on public safety and the rule of law,” Nocella said in a statement. “By deliberately setting fire to multiple police vehicles in the pre-dawn hours, the defendant put at risk the lives of first responders and residents asleep in their beds nearby, and ultimately, strained resources meant to protect the community."
When sentenced, McCray faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years’ imprisonment, as well as a fine and restitution in an amount to be determined by the court.
