FBI Offers $20K for Info on Arson at Massachusetts Chabad Centers

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to the arrest of the individual, or individuals, allegedly responsible for at least three arsons at Chabad Centers in Massachusetts.

On May 11, at approximately 11:00 p.m., authorities were alerted to a fire at the Chabad Center for Jewish Life of Arlington-Belmont in Arlington, Massachusetts. Five days later, on May 16, 2019, at approximately 8:50 p.m., authorities were alerted to another fire at the same Chabad Center. Later that evening, just before 10:00 p.m., authorities responded to a fire at the Chabad Lubavitch Jewish Center in Needham, Massachusetts.

The FBI has released new videos of a suspect in the arsons. At the time of the incidents, a surveillance camera recorded a man who is about 5 feet, 11 inches tall slowly walking to and from the locations where the fires were set. The man appears to be wearing a dark North Face jacket with the hood pulled over his head and khaki pants.

“Although surveillance video has given us a promising start to this investigation, it will be the public’s eyes that help us bring justice home to them,” Joseph Bonavolonta, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston division, said in a statement Tuesday. “If you recognize the individual in these videos, please contact us immediately.”