A New York firefighter was arrested for arson after he was busted setting fire to his own house and pinning it on Black Lives Matter activists.
Jason Stokes, 41, a firefighter in Endicott, claimed he was targeted because of the “Blue Lives Matter” flag flying in front of his home, blaming civil rights activists for the vicious attacks on his home and family.
Not only were Stokes’ wife and two kids inside the home when he set it on fire in an apparent attempt to kill his own family on August 10, the disgruntled firefighter took the liberty of booby trapping the home, making it more difficult for those trying to exit to escape the burning flames.
But he was only charged with arson, not attempted murder; a charge to which he has pleaded not guilty, according to CBS News.
He faces up to 25 years in prison.
Investigators found multiple gas cans and observed they were booby trapped to make it difficult to escape.
Although the entire house went up in flames, Stokes’ wife and two daughters escaped safely from the fire.
Investigators discovered the message “lie with pigs, fry like bacon” scrawled on the exterior of the burned house.
“That statement, to me, is absolutely despicable, and it fuels this false narrative of what’s going on in this country when it comes to the work that police officers do,” Broome County District Attorney Steve Cornwell said, attempting to avoid uttering the phrase at a news conference earlier this week.
“I don’t even want to repeat the saying. I’m sure you will, but it is just a despicable display of how law enforcement should be viewed in society today. It’s just, it’s completely unacceptable.”
When a reporter asked it the specific phrase spray-painted onto the home was: “Lie with pigs, fry like bacon.”
“I can confirm that,” Cornwell replied.
The incident was covered by the pro-police site Blue Lives Matter in August, which reported the following:
It appears that this family was specifically targeted in a hate crime against law enforcement. The message on the side of the house not only gives a motive for the property destruction, it suggests that the suspect was actually trying to murder the occupants of the residence.
The family is fortunate that they were able to escape the fire unharmed.
Supporters for groups like Black Lives Matter have been trying to intimidate law enforcement and their supporters. This is the first case that we know of, outside of a riot, where an arson targeted somebody specifically for supporting law enforcement. These criminals are trying to intimidate us into backing down so that they can push their agenda without resistance.
We will continue to fly our flags and defy these terrorists who are attacking law enforcement.
The site has yet to post an update to the story, informing readers that Stokes was arrested for setting the fire himself.
Although prosecutors claim Stokes himself did the deed and concocted the story to cover his crime, they’re not speculating about the motives behind his actions.
“We don’t need to show a motive, we need to show intent,” Broome County District Attorney Steve Cornwell said.
Stokes, who had been on paid administrative leave since the fire, was placed on unpaid leave since his arrest.
He was released from jail after posting a $10,000 bond.
Earlier this year, we reported about the wife of a Massachusetts cop who blamed Black Lives Matter for a home invasion robbery, claiming $10,000 in jewelry was stolen.
She ended up arrested after it was discovered she was the one who spray painted BLM on the front of her house, not the alleged black home invaders.
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