NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — An arsonist who set fire to several downtown Manhattan establishments was indicted on hate crime charges Tuesday, District Attorney Alvin Bragg said.
Alex Blodgett, 39, was originally indicted in August 2021 for the arsons but a search of his Facebook account revealed evidence of anti-gay bias, particularly toward gay men, so prosecutors enhanced the indictment to include hate crime charges.
“Hate has no place here in Manhattan and New Yorkers of all backgrounds deserve to feel safe,” Bragg said. “As alleged, this individual left a wake of physical destruction but also made an entire community unsafe because he targeted LGBTQIA+ establishments. We will continue to vigorously investigate and prosecute these types of unacceptable bias incidents.”
On Aug. 16, 2021 just after 1 a.m., Blodgett began his spree of arsons at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center in Greenwich Village, a non-profit organization that serves the LGBT community. Blodgett tied a rag to the front door handles of the center and set the rag on fire with a lighter. He also set a large potted plant and trash can belonging to the center on fire, according to court documents.
Blodgett then went to the gay bar Atlas Social Club in Hell’s Kitchen and threw multiple large rocks to the front windows, officials said.
The arson continued a few blocks away at a Thai restaurant on 9th Avenue where Blodgett lit plastic flowers, which were on the restaurant's outdoor dining area, on fire, causing significant damage to the structure, authorities said.
Shortly after, Blodgett moved on to LouLou, a French restaurant in Chelsea. At this time, it was just after 4 a.m. Blodgett used a lighter to set some decorative leaves hanging on the outdoor dining structure on fire which caused damage to the seating area and restaurant’s facade. Several employees were inside of the restaurant during the incident, court documents show.
Cops were able to locate Blodgett after several 911 calls were made reporting the LouLou fire and arrested him around 4:18 p.m. He was found with a lighter in his hands.
Blodgett was charged with arson in the second degree, two counts of arson in the third degree as a hate crime, two counts of criminal mischief in the second degree as a hate crime, four counts of criminal mischief in the fourth degree as a hate crime and two counts of arson in the third degree.
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