NEW YORK CITY — Yogesh Sayrange, 36, is in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn following his arrest on July 9, 2026, in connection with three Molotov cocktail attacks in Queens, two of which targeted houses of worship. Federal prosecutors filed a criminal complaint charging Sayrange with using fire and explosives to damage property used in interstate commerce.

The complaint alleges that on June 25, 2026, shortly after midnight, Sayrange threw an incendiary device into a shop at Fulton and Crescent Streets in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn. The fire caused extensive damage before the owner extinguished it, and no injuries were reported. Investigators recovered remnants of the device, described as a glass bottle attached to screws and filled with hair, rocks, ignitable liquid, and other contents taped to two black plastic bags.

Prosecutors allege surveillance video captured Sayrange wearing a mask, a camouflage hoodie, dark pants, and a black backpack during the June incident. They further allege that after the attack, he entered a deli, made a purchase, and later removed his mask, backpack, and hoodie at an outdoor barbecue, turning the hoodie inside out.

At 11:35 p.m. on July 9, a Molotov cocktail was thrown at the door of Iglesia Bautista "El Mesias" Baptist Church on 75th Street and 101st Avenue in Ozone Park. The device exploded on the ground, causing a small fire extinguished by the FDNY. Shortly after, another Molotov cocktail was thrown at the door of the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses on 78th Street and Rockaway Boulevard in Woodhaven, also causing a small fire extinguished by firefighters. No injuries were reported.

Police sources stated that two additional Molotov cocktails were recovered from Sayrange's bag upon his arrest. Sayrange made an initial appearance in Brooklyn federal court on July 10, according to the U.S. district attorney's office, and is represented by attorney Kannan Sundaram of the Brooklyn Federal Defenders.