A Poughkeepsie man was charged Tuesday with arson after allegedly setting off explosives during a planned attack on a Manhattan federal building Monday.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, on Monday morning, Andrew Arrabaca, 43, set off fireworks in front of the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building. Before being apprehended, Arrabaca shot a BB rifle in the direction of the building, set fire to the steps outside one of the entrances, and then threw a box of fireworks into the fire, according to prosecutors. He also allegedly had a sign that said “ICE off our streets.”
In a Mirandized post-arrest interview, Arrabaca said, “he was motivated to act by anti-government beliefs, including that government authorities were unlawfully harming people, and that he had targeted the building entrance because he previously observed that it was a busy one.”
Arrabaca reportedly lives in a building in Poughkeepsie's Union Street Historic District. According to his neighbors, his actions are a sign of the times.
“I'm gonna be totally honest with you, it's the world we live in," said Joe Franklin, who has lived in the building for six years. "It's gone crazy. It's just upside down. You know, we gotta fix it.”
Lamar Johnson lives in the area and said he’s worried for his family.
“It's just so much s--- is going on in this world now that I never expected to be living through," Johnson said. "I used to see it on TV all the time. I hear it on the news. But to actually live through it, brother — you really feel it here, man.
"Cause I'm a father. I have twin boys. I have two beautiful daughters. I'm scared to even let them go to school nowadays, man.”
The New York City Fire Department said four people were injured in the incident. At least one person appeared to be hit by debris, resulting in a gash on the back of their head. New York City Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch said, “Because of the quick and brave actions of law enforcement, no one was seriously injured.”
Arrabaca was charged with destruction of property owned or leased by the United States by means of fire or explosives and causing personal injury or substantial risk of injury, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison and a maximum sentence of 40 years.
Spectrum News reported that Arrabaca did not enter a plea on Tuesday, and his attorney told the court he was diagnosed with mental illness in 2020 and had stopped taking his medication.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said in a press release Arrabaca, “caused a scene of destruction and mayhem by setting a fire at the entrance to a federal building in lower Manhattan which houses thousands of federal employees and receives hundreds of visitors daily.”
Arrabaca served as mechanic on Patriot missile systems in the U.S. Army between 2001 and 2004. He also served in the Army National Guard-New York from 2004 to 2005. According to an Army spokesperson, Arrabaca had no deployments and left the Army in the rank of specialist.
On Monday, Arrabaca was reportedly wearing camouflage pants, tactical pouches with BB pellets and carbon dioxide cartridges, and a helmet that said, “Kill yourself.” He also had his New York driver’s license, a knife and matches on him. In his wagon, he was carrying a BB rifle, a pellet rifle, a mallet, hatchets, a machete, and fireworks.
According to Spectrum News, a preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 4.
