Marc Lamparello has been identified as the 37-year-old New Jersey man who was arrested on the night of Wednesday, April 17, after he allegedly entered the iconic St. Patrick’s Cathedral with four gallons of gasoline, lighter fluid, and lighters.
According to the New York City Police Department, Lamparello entered the historic St. Patrick’s Cathedral around 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17, before he was quickly stopped and apprehended by church security.
Police say at the time of his arrest, Lamparello was in possession of four gallons of gasoline, lighter fluid, and lighters.
In a press conference, NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence and Counterterrorism John Miller elaborated on what happened with Lamparello.
Miller said that when Lamparello was interviewed by authorities, he claimed he was just trying to cut through the church to get to Madison Avenue because his van ran out of gas on Fifth Avenue.
Lamparello, a philosophy professor who has lectured at Lehman College in the Bronx, is also studying to earn a Ph.D. in philosophy at CUNY.
After being apprehended by police, he was taken to the Midtown North precinct for further questioning.
“I think 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,” Miller said.
“His story is not consistent, so he’s having conversations with the detectives right now. I think if you add to that the events at the iconic location of the fire in Notre Dame this week and all the publicity around that,” Miller continued.
Additionally, the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and the NYPD indicated that there was no immediate terror-related threat to the church or New York City at this time.
At this time of this writing, Lamparello has yet to be charged with any crimes.