Federal and city fire officials are investigating a suspected arson that occurred Sunday night, Aug. 4, in front of the Jewish Museum of Maryland in East Baltimore’s Jonestown community.
“The fire bureau investigation unit from the Office of the Fire Marshal is investigating the incident,” said Baltimore City Fire Department Capt. Dennis Dawson. “It involved some type of fire of unknown origin.”
The JMM, located at 15 Lloyd Street, is currently undergoing an extensive renovation and is closed to the public. A construction worker with the renovation crew discovered what appeared to be burned material on the JMM premises on Monday, according to WBAL-TV.
On Wednesday, city fire investigators and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives examined fire residue and video surveillance that showed an individual setting the fire. The Baltimore field office of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is assisting the Baltimore police and fire officials with the investigation.
According to police, the museum has not received any threats recently. Police said museum officials want the matter investigated as a hate crime.
The museum, which is an agency of The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore, is flanked by the historic Lloyd Street Synagogue and B’nai Israel Congregation.
In a statement, Andrew Koch, treasurer of the Maryland Republican Jewish Council, said, “I’ve been attending services and have been attending services at B’nai Israel Congregation since I moved to Baltimore just over 10 years ago. I’m very disturbed and outraged that someone deliberately set something on fire outside my religious home and the Jewish Museum of Maryland, which highlights the rich Jewish history of downtown and East Baltimore. It’s blatant that this was an attempt to intimidate the small Jewish community of downtown Baltimore.”
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