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Bystanders unfazed during fiery attack outside federal NYC building

AP News • July 22, 2026 • nation

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Surveillance footage showed Andrew Arrabaca setting off fireworks and starting a fire outside 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan, with bystanders largely indifferent to the chaotic scene.
Arrabaca, a former U.S. Army soldier, was arrested and charged with arson after confessing to the attack, which involved fireworks, a pellet gun, and igniting a blaze on the federal building's steps.
The building houses federal agencies including ICE and the FBI, and Arrabaca carried anti-ICE signage and made anti-government statements during his arrest; he also possessed multiple weapons and had planned the attack for months.
Three people sustained minor injuries, and prosecutors noted Arrabaca's history of mental health issues, including stopping prescribed medication; he was ordered jailed pending a mental health evaluation.
Arrabaca served in the Army from 2001 to 2004, working on Patriot missile systems, and later in the New York Army National Guard, with no deployments; he was living in his car and sleeping in a park prior to the incident.

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