Suspect identified in fires set in New Britain houses of worship
A suspect who allegedly set fires at two houses of worship in New Britain and set off a burglar alarm at another on Friday night has been identified as Kimorah Parker, according to social media posts by New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart.
Parker, 30, is charged with arson andburglary, both in the third degree, according to Stewart’s posts on Facebook and Twitter.
“I am proud of the hard work that NBPD and NBFD do to keep us safe,” Stewart posted on Facebook Saturday.
New Britain firefighters were called Friday night to put out two fires, one at a church and one at a synagogue, in New Britain about 45 minutes apart, and a burglar alarm was set off at a third church.
The first call came in at 8:05 p.m. from Tephereth Israel Synagogue at 76 Winter St. Forty-five minutes later, the second fire was discovered at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church at 95 Franklin Square.
A burglary alarm then went off at St. Joseph’s Church, a Catholic church at 195 South Main St.
Stewart said damage was “fairly extensive” at the synagogue but minimal at St. Matthew’s and nothing was found in a police sweep at St. Joseph’s.
No one was injured in either fire.
Stewart also shared on Facebook a message she said she received from the FBI about the fires.
“Please be advised that the FBI is coordinating with the Connecticut State Police and New Britain Police Department (NBPD) with regard to the break-ins, one possible attempted break-in and/or fires that recently occurred at multiple different denominations of houses of worship in the City of New Britain, Connecticut,” the message said, according to Stewart.
“Local police have arrested a suspect well-known to them and retain the lead over the ongoing investigations,” the message said, according to Stewart’s post. “No other incidents have been reported since the arrest. The FBI will continue to coordinate with local law enforcement and, pending further evidence collection, will determine whether federal charges are appropriate.
“The FBI is unaware of any specific, credible threat to the religious community stemming from these incidents,” the post also said.
Lori Riley can be reached at lriley@courant.com.
