NEW YORK — A 22-year-old activist from Brooklyn with multiple prior arrests at pro-Palestinian demonstrations has admitted guilt in federal court for deliberately burning 11 police department vehicles during a summer arson attack.
Jakhi McCray entered his guilty plea on Wednesday for the June 12 incident that resulted in $800,000 worth of damage to New York City Police Department property, according to law enforcement officials.
The conviction carries a required minimum sentence of five years behind bars, with the possibility of up to 20 years in federal prison at his upcoming sentencing hearing.
“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,” U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella said in a statement Wednesday.
According to federal prosecutors, McCray climbed over a security fence to access a police vehicle storage facility in Brooklyn, where he ignited flames that destroyed 10 patrol cars and one trailer. When an officer on duty noticed him, he fled through a gap in the fencing, but investigators say he accidentally left behind evidence including a lighter used for cigars and eyewear containing his fingerprints.
McCray voluntarily surrendered to authorities one month following the incident. During that time, he issued a public statement condemning what he described as intimidation tactics used against individuals who have criticized “the genocide in Palestine and the kidnapping of migrants.” He revealed he had been taken into custody 12 times before and claimed both media outlets and law enforcement had repeatedly made false statements about him.
McCray’s legal representative, Ron Kuby, directed inquiries to an activist organization that has rallied behind McCray.
The Support Committee for Jakhi McCray released a statement Wednesday calling him a “dedicated organizer, activist, and community member whose work has touched countless lives.”
