JACKSON, MS – A man accused of torching Mississippi’s oldest synagogue laughed about the crime afterward and told his father “he finally got them,” according to a newly released FBI complaint that paints a disturbing picture of the hate-fueled attack.
Stephen Spencer Pittman is charged with maliciously damaging or destroying a building by means of fire after allegedly setting fire to Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson early Saturday morning. The historic synagogue, established 160 years ago, is the only Jewish house of worship in the state capital.
According to federal investigators, Pittman’s own father contacted authorities after confronting his son about burns on his ankles. The complaint states Pittman “laughed as he told his father what he did and said he finally got them.” During subsequent police interviews, Pittman allegedly referred to the building as the “synagogue of Satan.”
The FBI says Pittman carefully planned the arson. He allegedly purchased gasoline, removed his license plate to avoid detection, and drove to the synagogue around 3 a.m. Saturday. Security footage captured him breaking through a window with an axe and using a torch lighter to ignite the blaze after dousing the interior with fuel.
Text messages recovered from Pittman’s phone show he sent his father a photo of the synagogue’s exterior with an ominous message: “There’s a furnace in the back.” Location-sharing app data also placed him at the scene.
The attack carries especially painful historical significance. Beth Israel was previously bombed by Ku Klux Klan members in 1967 during the height of the civil rights movement. The congregation has worshipped in Jackson since before the Civil War.
Community members gathered Sunday to survey the damage and begin the process of healing. Local and state officials have condemned the attack as a vicious act of antisemitic hatred.
Pittman remains in federal custody pending further proceedings. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.
