By Jennifer R Jones | Posted on November 04, 2009 1:30 PM
Twenty-Six-Year-Old Brian Schroeder Of Texas, In A Drunken Prank, Set Fire To The Temporary New York Chapel Containing The Remains Of 9/11 Victims
Arson Damages The Temporary Resting Place For 9/11 Victims
A temporary New York City chapel containing unidentified remains of September 11 victims was set ablaze last weekend in what police are calling a definite case of arson.
Although the remains themselves were untouched, most of the mementos and candles left by loved ones were either damaged or stolen.
A Drunken Prank
The tented building (which was also largely undamaged) serves as a temporary resting place for the remains until they are moved to a permanent location at Ground Zero; it stands behind the chief medical examiner’s office on East 30th Street in what is known as Memorial Park.
Twenty-six-year-old Brian Schroeder, who’s originally from Texas, was arrested in connection with the crime. The Harvard Law School graduate supposedly set the memorial on fire as part of a drunken prank.
Schroeder Turned Himself In
Firefighters responded to a call before 9 am last Saturday (Halloween) and found remains of the fire still smoking. How Schroeder was able to simply walk into what was supposed to be a high-security area is uncertain, to say the least.
He turned himself into the police on Sunday. Not surprisingly, the posh New York law firm that had made him a job offer—and in which he worked last summer--has since rescinded it.
