A 63-year-old Brooklyn man was arrested and charged with arson after setting himself on fire in the lobby of a Lower Manhattan office building that houses Google offices, according to the New York Police Department.
John Butch allegedly set himself ablaze at about 2:58 p.m. on Friday, August 28, inside the lobby of 315 Hudson Street near Vandam Street in Manhattan. Multiple 911 calls brought police and emergency responders to the building.
Butch was found suffering from burns and was taken by emergency medical services to NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, where he was listed in stable condition. No other injuries were reported.
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Police charged Butch with criminal mischief, arson and reckless endangerment. Authorities have not disclosed a motive for the incident or said whether Google was specifically targeted.
The incident took place in the lobby of 315 Hudson Street, rather than inside Google’s offices. Google is one of several tenants in the building and occupies a large portion of the property.
A Google spokesperson said the company was aware of the incident and was cooperating with local authorities. “While the individual appeared to be seeking access to another tenant’s space in the building, we remain in close contact with local authorities. We are grateful to first responders,” the spokesperson said.
The building also houses the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau. Police confirmed that Butch is not an NYPD employee. Google occupies about 410,556 square feet of space in the building, according to figures cited by The Commercial Observer.
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Earlier accounts said security personnel extinguished the flames before emergency responders arrived. Police also found a collapsible baton inside Butch’s bag, while investigators did not find a note or political leaflets, according to reports.
Authorities have not said what prompted Butch to set himself on fire or whether he had a connection to another tenant he appeared to be attempting to reach. The investigation remains ongoing.