A 36-year-old Queens man, Yogesh Sayrange, was arrested late Wednesday and early Thursday for allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails at two houses of worship and a commercial building in the Ozone Park and Woodhaven neighborhoods. He faces federal charges in connection with at least one of the incidents.
Police and law enforcement sources reported that Sayrange first targeted Iglesia Bautista El Mesias in Ozone Park around 11 p.m. Wednesday. Surveillance video appears to show him lighting a Molotov cocktail and throwing it over the church's front gate, where it ignited near the entrance. The FDNY confirmed receiving a call for a reported incendiary device at the church shortly before midnight.
Shortly after, Sayrange allegedly proceeded to a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in Woodhaven, less than a mile away. He is accused of throwing another Molotov cocktail at the building's front entrance, causing a fire. The FDNY confirmed a second call for a device thrown at this church just after midnight. Investigators also believe Sayrange threw a third Molotov cocktail at an ambulette service building on Rockaway Boulevard in Woodhaven around the same time.
No injuries or significant damage were reported at any of the targeted locations. Investigators recovered two additional Molotov cocktails from Sayrange's backpack when he was taken into custody around 12:10 a.m. Thursday.
Federal prosecutors are also examining Sayrange's potential connection to similar incidents dating back to last month, though no additional cases have been publicly linked to him. He appeared in federal court Thursday in connection with a criminal complaint alleging he threw an incendiary device into a Brooklyn business on June 25. The New York Police Department and Department of Justice are investigating the Queens incidents as a possible hate crime.