A man was arrested for arson after allegedly setting fire to a Jewish community center in Casa Grande, Arizona, last week, ABC 15 reported.
The Khal Chasidim community center suffered “significant damage,” ABC 15 quoted police.
The suspect, Everardo Gregorio, 30, was seen multiple times on surveillance video in the area at the time of the fire, court documents stated.
Gregorio denied the accusations, claiming he was asleep when the fire broke out, yet he was arrested and taken into custody based on the video evidence.
ABC 15 reported that the investigation is ongoing.
Arson outside Jewish Museum
On Wednesday, in a separate instance, a man pleaded guilty to setting a fire outside the Jewish Museum of Maryland last year, The Jerusalem Post previously reported.
The 66-year-old man, Assadollah Hashemi, claimed, “I was out of my mind because I was under the influence of cocaine.”
He further admitted in Baltimore Circuit Court, “I wasn’t thinking. I accept everything.”
Besides drug abuse, Hashemi also said he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Hashemi, who was arrested in August 2024, was accused of a hate crime and taken into custody on charges of second-degree arson and malicious burning.