A 36-year-old man is accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at two houses of worship and a nearby commercial building in Queens late Wednesday night. The suspect, identified as Yogesh Sayrange, was arrested by officers carrying additional incendiary devices. According to police, Sayrange targeted Iglesia Bautista El Mesias in the Ozone Park neighborhood shortly before 11 p.m.
Surveillance video appears to show Sayrange speaking with three other men before lighting a Molotov cocktail and throwing it over the front gate toward the church's entrance. The bottle ignited near the front door before Sayrange walked away. Fire marshals and the NYPD are investigating the incident.
Sayrange allegedly walked less than a mile to a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in nearby Woodhaven, where he threw another Molotov cocktail at the building's front entrance, sparking a second fire. The FDNY received a call at 12:08 a.m. Thursday for a reported incendiary device thrown at the church.
Police said Sayrange also threw a third Molotov cocktail at an ambulette service building on Rockaway Boulevard near 77th Street in Woodhaven around the same time. However, there were no injuries or significant damage reported at any of the locations.
Officers took Sayrange into custody at about 12:10 a.m. Thursday and recovered two additional Molotov cocktails from his backpack. Investigators are examining whether Sayrange may be connected to several similar incidents dating back to last month.
Sayrange appeared in federal court Thursday in connection with a criminal complaint alleging he threw an incendiary device into a Brooklyn business on June 25. Authorities have not confirmed any additional cases tied to him.
