Man Arrested At New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral With Gasoline, Lighter Fluid, Lighters

Notre-Dame Cathedral Arson — France has seen hundreds of churches vandalized in the last year due to anti-Christian acts against its religious history. The investigation into what caused the Notre-Dame Cathedral fire is still underway by French officials. This general view shows debris inside the Notre-Dame-de Paris Cathedral in Paris on April 16, 2019, a day after a fire that devastated the building in the centre of the French capital. - Pledges from French billionaires, businesses and the public sector to help rebuild Notre-Dame cathedral have reached nearly 700 million euros (790 million dollars) amid an outpouring of public support for one of Europe's most iconic monuments. Getty Images/Christophe PETIT TESSON

In the wake of the Notre Dame fire, a man was arrested Wednesday night at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City looking to do the same.

The man was arrested when he tried to leave the church after being confronted by a security officer. A security officer confronted the man after he spilled some gasoline in the church and made him turn around and leave.

Kevin Donohue, the director of building operations for St. Patrick’s Cathedral, said that security officers are stationed at every entrance on the church. One of the officers noticed the man immediately as he pulled items from his minivan. When one of the officers confronted him, he claimed to be cutting through the church to bring gas back to his car. However, one of the officers checked the man’s car and found it still had gas in the tank.

The man was promptly taken into custody before NYPD counterterrorism units took the man off security’s hands.

Around 7:55pm, a man walked into St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan with gas cans and lighter fluid, and was subsequently apprehended by @NYPDCT without incident. We thank our partners for their help, and remember - if you see something, say something. pic.twitter.com/qEbmklnqzQ
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) April 18, 2019

John Miller, Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism, held a news conference about the incident.

"It's hard to say exactly what his intentions were but I think the totality of circumstances of an individual walking into an iconic location like St. Patrick's Cathedral, carrying over four gallons of gasoline, two bottles of lighter fluid and lighters is something we would have great concern over," Miller said.

The man has yet to be charged with a crime.

Police described the man as emotionally disturbed.

New york city