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Christmas tree outside Fox News HQ torched in suspected arson; police claim it was not politically motivated
Image source: YouTube screenshot

Christmas tree outside Fox News HQ torched in suspected arson; police claim it was not politically motivated

New York City police arrested a man early Wednesday morning they believe is responsible for torching the massive Christmas tree outside the News Corp. building in midtown Manhattan, the location of the Fox News headquarters.

What happened?

Security personnel reportedly witnessed a man scaling the massive 50-foot “All-American Christmas Tree” outside the building shortly after midnight Wednesday morning.

The suspect reportedly breached the perimeter around the tree and scaled the metal superstructure that holds together the massive tree. Fox News security personnel said they saw the suspect carrying newspaper, which he allegedly used to ignite the fire.

The suspect was quickly apprehended by Fox News security personnel, who turned him over to police. The New York City Fire Department extinguished the blaze, the cause of which has not yet been officially determined.

According to Politico, police arrested 49-year-old Craig Tamanaha, who is homeless, for allegedly starting the blaze. Tamanaha has been charged with a host of crimes, including arson, criminal mischief, criminal nuisance, criminal tampering, criminal trespassing, disorderly conduct, and reckless endangerment.

WNBC-TV reported that police allege the man acted alone and that they say the incident didn't appear to be premeditated or politically motivated. However, the randomness of the alleged arson is being questioned. After all, Fox News just celebrated the lighting of the tree on Sunday, two days before the fire. What was left of the tree was later taken down early Wednesday.

The hosts of "Fox & Friends" expressed outrage over the incident. Show co-host Brian Kilmeade called the suspect a "psycho," while Steve Doocy opened the show saying, "It’s beginning to look a lot like arson."

The hosts agreed the alleged arson is symptomatic of a larger problem they claimed is plaguing New York City: lawlessness.

"This is part of a bigger problem," Kilmeade said. "It's the crime surge in this country ... there is so much crime in places that were always safe, including 48th and 6th here. This is emblematic of these cities out of control: defame and defund the police and this bail reform that has these men and women, these assailants, these suspects out before they can even finish the paperwork. This is what you get when you have these left-wing DAs ... running these cities. You get chaos."

They also agreed that Fox News should rebuild the tree even bigger than it was before the fire. Before the blaze, the tree boasted more than 10,000 ornaments and more than 100,000 lights, WNBC noted.

Christmas tree set on fire at Fox Square, suspect arrestedwww.youtube.com

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