Stephen Spencer Pittman’s father called the FBI after his 19-year-old son admitted to setting fire intentionally to the only synagogue in Jackson, Miss., according to an affidavit that a federal agent filed with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi.
Pittman admitted to the Jan. 10 arson attack on Beth Israel Congregation and the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life “due to the building’s Jewish ties,” according to the FBI agent.
“The fire resulted in extensive damage to a significant portion of the building and rendered it inoperable for an indefinite period of time,” per the affidavit. The agent added that a hooded person was captured on surveillance footage “walking in the interior of the building pouring contents from what appeared to be a gas container.”
The suspect’s father told the FBI that his son, who lives in Madison, Miss., had confessed and shared data from Pittman’s phone and text messages he had sent with federal agents and said he saw “burns on Pittman’s body,” per the affidavit. It added that among the messages Pittman texted his father was “there’s a furnace in the back” alongside a photo of Beth Israel.”
When his father confronted him early on Jan. 10, Pittman “told his father he broke a window of the Beth Israel Congregation/ISJL building, went inside and lit it on fire,” per the affidavit. “Pittman laughed as he told his father what he did and said he finally got them.”
Pittman told the FBI, Jackson Fire Department and Hinds County Sheriff’s Office that he started the fire at what he called “synagogue of Satan.”
If convicted, the suspect faces between five and 20 years in prison, according to the Justice Department.
“This disgusting act of antisemitic violence has no place in our country, and unlike the prior administration, this Department of Justice will not let antisemitism fester and flourish,” stated Pam Bondi, the U.S. attorney general. “I have directed my prosecutors to seek severe penalties for this heinous act and remain deeply committed to protecting Jewish Americans from hatred.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said that the bureau “will never waver in our mission to protect Jewish communities from targeted antisemitic attacks and will work to hold accountable anyone who engages in these types of violent acts.”
“Mississippi stands with the members of Beth Israel Congregation,” stated Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican. “This heinous act will never be tolerated, and the perpetrator should face the full and solemn weight of their actions.”
