Eight New York Police Department vehicles were destroyed in an overnight fire that broke out early Thursday in a Brooklyn parking lot, in what authorities are treating as a likely act of arson.
The blaze erupted around 1:30 a.m. on June 12 at the corner of DeKalb and Central Avenues in Bushwick, just steps from the 83rd Precinct stationhouse. The lot, regularly used by Patrol Borough Brooklyn North, sits two blocks from its main headquarters on Wilson Avenue.
Firefighters arrived to find multiple NYPD vehicles, both marked and unmarked, engulfed in flames. Despite a rapid response, at least eight vehicles were deemed total losses by the time the fire was extinguished.
Preliminary findings suggest the fire was deliberately set by an unidentified individual. “Everything points to a deliberate act,” a law enforcement source said. Witnesses reported seeing a man dressed entirely in black, wearing a black mask, throw an object into the lot shortly before the fire ignited.
The incident comes amid heightened national tensions over aggressive ICE enforcement operations, including in New York, which have sparked recent protests and sporadic clashes with police.
Investigators are reviewing surveillance footage from the area in an effort to identify the suspect. No arrests have been made so far.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, 888-57-PISTA), submit a tip at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or message @NYPDTips on X (formerly Twitter). All reports will be kept confidential.
