A disturbing scene occurred shortly after midnight outside of the Sixth Avenue building that houses Fox News in New York City on December 8th.
Police were called to the scene in Fox Square outside of the Sixth Avenue building that houses Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Post shortly after midnight after an emotionally disturbed homeless man set fire to a Christmas tree outside the building.
The homeless man has been identified as Craig Tamanaha, 49. He is now facing several charges, including arson, criminal mischief, reckless endangerment, and criminal trespass.
Tamanaha allegedly “went into the tree” with what appeared to be “some paper” — likely newspapers — and “lit the whole thing on fire in a matter of seconds,” according to FOX and Friends host Brian Kilmeade.
The flames quickly spread up the tree as the homeless man was “tackled to the ground” by a FOX security officer, according to reports.
Police and their sources have noted that Tamanaha is known to hang out in the area.
The homeless man allegedly used a lighter and accelerants to start the fire, causing approximately $500,000 in property damage. Images from the scene show that the fire charred most of the tree, which had been decorated in red, white, and blue ornaments and topped with a red star. The fire had also spread and damaged three other nearby trees that had been decorated with Christmas lights.
Police had closed off surrounding streets while the New York City Fire Department worked to extinguish the blaze.
Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott thanked first responders for their actions, and said that they would be replacing the tree in a new lighting ceremony.
Officers are also investigating whether Tamanaha attempted to carry out a similar act on the Norway Spruce in Rockefeller Center.
The homeless man has a criminal history, having been arrested twice in 2021: once in March of possession of a controlled substance, and once in June for assaulting a police officer.
“It’s an individual that’s known to us — he has a series of low level arrests and drug arrests,” Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said on WPIX. “He was issued some earlier this year — some appearance tickets and didn’t come back to court, which unfortunately is something we see all too often. He also has some low-level arrests out of state — I believe it’s Texas.”
His motives for the arson remain unclear. He doesn’t appear to be affiliated with any political groups. Many people are speculating that his actions are simply related to mental illness.
“I think it’s definitely one where he’s working alone,” Shea said. “That’s what it appears. This is all very fresh … It’s probably a little preliminary to say what the motivation was — was mental illness a factor? We’re looking at all of that and we’ll probably have more to say.”
Another source within law enforcement blamed New York City policies that allow — and often encourage — mentally ill people to live on the streets.
“It’s just eight years of the [Mayor Bill] De Blasio grift and wasteful spending that let thousands of homeless, emotionally disturbed people roam the streets, left to their own devices,” the source said.
Tamanaha was photographed as he was brought into Central Booking at around 10:20 a.m. on December 8th. He was hunched over, wearing a mask and a navy blue sweatshirt.
