Developing·Case the developing record
#DC-0079

Andrew Arrabaca

Federal arson case tied to an alleged fire and fireworks incident outside 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan.

Charged · allegations
last updated 24 July 2026 · 5 sources
Confirmed facts
18
Open questions
4
Charge
Arson
Custody
Detained
Next court
4 Aug 2026
This case is still developing. Get an email when the file updates.
Audio brief · automated narration of the sourced record
Transcript

Case file Andrew Arrabaca, reference D C zero zero seven nine. According to a U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York complaint, federal prosecutors alleged that on July twentieth, twenty twenty-six, Andrew Arrabaca approached the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building at Twenty-six Federal Plaza in Manhattan at about eight twenty-seven a.m. with a four-wheeled utility wagon. The complaint alleged that Arrabaca set off several fireworks, fired a BB gun toward the building, poured flammable liquid outside an entrance, and ignited it. Prosecutors alleged he threw a box of fireworks into the flames before law enforcement apprehended and arrested him. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Arrabaca, forty-three, of Poughkeepsie, New York, was charged with destruction of U.S. government property by fire or explosives causing personal injury or substantial risk of injury. The office said the charge is an unproven allegation. AP reported that three people sustained minor injuries. AP also reported that a federal magistrate judge ordered Arrabaca jailed without bail, and that he was not required to enter a plea. The file’s open questions include whether a grand jury has returned an indictment, the results of the court-ordered evaluation, whether injured people have been further identified, and what plea, if any, will be entered later. This has been an automated reading of case file D C zero zero seven nine at developing case dot com. Every fact you heard names a public source.

Timeline of what's confirmed18 entries
20 July 2026
Federal prosecutors alleged that Andrew Arrabaca approached the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan at about 8:27 a.m. with a four-wheeled utility wagon.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York complaint
20 July 2026
Federal prosecutors alleged that Arrabaca set off several fireworks, fired a BB gun toward the federal building, poured flammable liquid outside an entrance and ignited it.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York complaint
20 July 2026
Federal prosecutors alleged that Arrabaca threw a box of fireworks into the flames before law enforcement agents apprehended and arrested him.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York complaint
20 July 2026
The complaint alleged that an explosion sounded from the direction of the fire at about the same time Arrabaca was apprehended.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York complaint
20 July 2026
The complaint alleged that Arrabaca was wearing military-style camouflage pants, tactical pouches with BB pellets and carbon dioxide cartridges, and a helmet bearing several phrases.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York complaint
20 July 2026
Federal prosecutors said law enforcement recovered a BB rifle, a pellet rifle, a machete, two hatchets, a mallet, a hammer, fireworks and an anti-ICE sign from the wagon.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York press release
20 July 2026
The complaint alleged that multiple people were evaluated for injuries, including at least one person with a head gash from debris from the fire or explosion.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York complaint
20 July 2026
AP reported that three people sustained minor injuries, including a person who had an immigration court hearing at the building.
AP
20 July 2026
AP reported that the building houses offices for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the FBI and other federal agencies, as well as immigration court proceedings.
AP
20 July 2026
AP reported that Arrabaca repaired Patriot missile systems while serving in the U.S. Army and also served one year in the New York Army National Guard.
AP
21 July 2026
The U.S. Attorney's Office announced that Arrabaca, 43, of Poughkeepsie, New York, was charged with destruction of U.S. government property by fire or explosives causing personal injury or substantial risk of injury.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York press release
21 July 2026
The U.S. Attorney's Office stated that the charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years and a maximum sentence of 40 years; the charge is an unproven allegation.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York press release
21 July 2026
AP reported that Assistant U.S. Attorney Samantha Fry said Arrabaca had plotted the alleged attack for months and considered other New York City targets before 26 Federal Plaza.
AP
21 July 2026
AP reported that U.S. Magistrate Judge Robyn F. Tarnofsky ordered Arrabaca jailed without bail at a federal lockup in Brooklyn and said she wanted him evaluated at the jail as soon as possible.
AP
21 July 2026
CBS New York reported that the judge ordered prosecutors to have Arrabaca evaluated at the Metropolitan Detention Center within 48 hours.
CBS New York
21 July 2026
AP reported that Arrabaca was not required to enter a plea at his initial appearance.
AP
22 July 2026
AP reported that surveillance footage released by the U.S. Attorney's Office showed fireworks, a fire and a pellet gun outside the building before Arrabaca was subdued.
AP
4 August 2026
CBS New York reported that Arrabaca's next court date is scheduled for 4 August 2026.
CBS New York
Open questionsunconfirmed · not conclusions
Has a grand jury returned an indictment beyond the criminal complaint?unconfirmed · unconfirmed
What were the results of the court-ordered evaluation at the Metropolitan Detention Center?unconfirmed · unconfirmed
Have prosecutors or the court identified the injured people beyond general descriptions?unconfirmed · unconfirmed
What plea, if any, will be entered at a later court appearance?unconfirmed · unconfirmed
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