A homeless man is facing federal charges in connection to the burning of a police officer’s vehicle as it was parked on a Brooklyn street, officials said Thursday.
Authorities said Michael Rodriguez, 32, had approached the vehicle, which was parked on Devoe Street in East Williamsburg and had a placard of the New York Police Department, around 4:30 a.m. on June 2. The car had been assigned to an NYPD captain.
In the federal complaint, authorities said video footage showed Rodriguez pouring liquid on the unoccupied vehicle's windshield, putting cardboard on it and setting the cardboard on fire. Rodriguez was arrested Thursday and ordered detained pending trial by a federal judge. An email was sent to an attorney in the federal defender’s office for comment. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.