On January 10, 2026, a horrifying event happened in Jackson, Mississippi. The Beth Israel Synagogue was burned down in an antisemitic attack by 19-year-old suspect Stephen Spencer Pittman. The arsonist was arrested at a hospital after his father called the FBI stating that his son confessed his actions to him. Thankfully, there were no casualties or injuries reported from the fire.
The suspect has been charged with first-degree arson of a place of worship and it was enhanced with by the act being considered a hate crime. The suspect was found at a hospital with non-life threatening burns. The suspect was given a public defender at first court appearance in which he appeared in federal court via video call from his hospital bed. 19-year-old Pittman had graduated high school and attended three semesters of college. Pittman was in custody of the US Marshals Service. If he is convicted of a federal charge, he could face anywhere from 5 to 20 years in prison. If convicted of a state charge he could potentially face 60 years in prison.
Pittman told the authorities how he started the fire, he stopped at a gas station to buy the gas he used where he also took the license plate off of his car to keep it undetected. The footage shows a person in a hood walking into the building and pouring the contents of a gas container around the building. The Jackson Fire Department responded t the fire shortly after 3:00 am where they found the building on fire where after putting said fire out they classified it as an arson. The fire created extreme damage to a large portion of the building and made it completely unusable. Ultimately, Pittman confessed to lighting a fire inside the Beth Israel Synagogue.
Pittman’s motive was antisemitic as he said that it was a “synagogue of Satan” and when he called his father he said he “finally got them”. Attorney General Pam Bondi stated that the attack was an act of antisemitic violence. After pleading not guilty, Pittman still has not received a sentence but is expected to get from 5 to 30 years in prison and up to 60 years if convicted of a state crime.
