New Jersey Man Wanted to Set St. Patrick's Cathedral on Fire

A 37-year-old New Jersey man arrested for attempted arson at New York City's famed St. Patrick's Cathedral had been arrest two days before at a church in Newark.

Marc Lamparello, of Bergen County, stands accused of bringing lighters and two gallons of gasoline into St. Patrick's on around 8 p.m. Wednesday. He was caught by church security and later arrested. He was reportedly in possession of a one-way ticket to Rome, Italy, according to NJ.com. Lamparello now faces charges of attempted arson, reckless endangerment and trespassing in the St. Pat's incident.

This incident comes only days after fire destroyed a significant portion of Paris' Notre Dame.

Just Monday night after the late mass service, Lamparello was arrested for refusing to leave the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark. He is charged in there with defiant trespassing, disorderly persons and obstruction of the administration of justice.

Lamparello is an educated man. NJ.com reports that he's a philosophy instructor and Ph.D. candidate who has taught at New York City’s Lehman and Brooklyn colleges, and Seton Hall University in New Jersey.

More security than usual was present at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York Thursday in the wake of Lamparello's threat. It so heartbreaking to me that anyone would purposely seek to damage a church of such historic significance. It's among one of my favorite landmarks anywhere in the world.

SOURCES: NJ.com