Man Charged With Trying to Set St. Patrick’s on Fire Was Arrested at Newark Cathedral Days Earlier
Days before a 37-year-old philosophy professor allegedly tried to set fire to the iconic St. Patrick’s Cathedral in the heart of Manhattan, he was arrested for refusing to leave a church in New Jersey—setting off a bizarre 48 hours for a man who previously had little interaction with law enforcement.
According to an arrest report of the incident at Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart obtained by The Daily Beast, Marc Lamparello was charged Monday night after he refused orders from an Essex County Deputy Sheriff to leave the Newark church.
The cathedral was closing and Lamparello, who was seated in a pew according to the report, allegedly told a sheriff who asked him to leave: “If you want me to leave tonight, you’re gonna have to handcuff me and arrest me tonight and take me to jail.”
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