A 37-year-old man has been taken into custody after showing up at St. Patrick’s Cathedral with two gas cans and other flammable material.
Marc Lamparello was stopped by church security and police were alerted when he spilled gas on the floor. Lamparello claimed that he was cutting through the cathedral because his car had run out of gas.Police looked at his vehicle and discovered the gas tank wasn’t empty.
“The totality of circumstances of an individual walking into an iconic location like St. Patrick's Cathedral carrying over four gallons of gasoline, two bottles of lighter fluid and lighters is something that we would have great concern over,” NYPD Deputy Commissioner John Miller said.
Police said they don’t know what Lamparello’s intentions were, but they’ve taken him in for questioning.
“What we do know that carrying two cans of gasoline and the equipment to light that through a public area in a place like St Patrick's Cathedral is something that presents a danger to the public and that's why he's in custody,” Miller said.
Lamparello was known to police and they’re currently looking into his background.
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