Police have arrested a man after the Fox News All American Christmas tree went up in flames late Tuesday night.
#BREAKING: The Fox News Christmas Tree is on fire in NYC pic.twitter.com/xfWdFgdQIS
— Leonardo Puglisi (@Leo_Puglisi6) December 8, 2021
Fox News reports:
Fox News security spotted the suspect, later identified as Craig Tamanaha, climbing the 50-foot-tall tree at the center of Fox Square just after midnight. The Sixth Avenue and 48th Street location is in the heart of Midtown.
NYPD officers arrived at the scene and saw the suspect running from the location. They took him into custody before filing charges that included criminal mischief, reckless endangerment and arson. City firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze.
Tamanaha, 49, had three prior arrests: two for drug possession and one for public intoxication. He was said to be homeless with a last known address in Brooklyn.
They said it was not clear whether the suspect may have used accelerant to quicken the spread of the fire.
Police said that nobody was injured in the fire and Fox News plans to rebuild the tree.