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Arrest Made After Fox News' 50-Foot Christmas Tree Is Set Ablaze in NYC

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It’s beginning to look a lot like arson after a Fox News Christmas tree in Manhattan went up like a torch.

The holiday display, at Sixth Avenue and 48th Street in the center of midtown Manhattan, caught fire early Wednesday, according to Fox News.

Just after midnight, security guards at the New York City headquarters of Fox News noticed a decoration not in keeping with the red, white and blue All-American motif, as a man started climbing the 50-foot-tall “tree,” which is actually an artificial creation on a metal frame shaped like a tree.

According to WABC, after the man climbed the structure, he lit papers he brought with him on fire and pushed them into the frame.

Police responded to arrest the man as firefighters extinguished the flames.

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Craig Tamanaha, 49, was arrested, according to WABC-TV. Police listed him as homeless, with a last known address in Brooklyn.

Tamanaha is charged with criminal mischief, reckless endangerment, arson, criminal nuisance, endangering others, criminal trespass, criminal tampering and disorderly conduct.

Tamanaha has been arrested in the past for drug possession and public intoxication, WABC reported.

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Police said they believe Tamanaha, who had a lighter in his possession when arrested, acted alone. Officials said they were unsure if an accelerant was used.

In addition to the All-American tree, three other trees in the display were damaged, according to the New York Post.

The incident left Twitter buzzing.

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The tree had been decorated with 10,000 glass ornaments and 100,000 lights.

According to Fox, the structure took workers almost 21 hours to put up. The company said the tree display will be rebuilt.

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.

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