Brooklyn man arrested after setting himself on fire in Google building lobby

A Brooklyn man was arrested on arson charges Friday after allegedly setting himself on fire in the lobby of a Lower Manhattan building housing Google.

John Butch, 63, allegedly used a lighter and accelerant to set himself ablaze around 3 p.m. Friday in the lobby of 315 Hudson St., according to the NYPD. Multiple people called 911, and Butch was taken to Weill Cornell Medical Center with burns and listed in stable condition.

He faces charges of arson, criminal mischief and reckless endangerment. Police confirmed that Butch is not an NYPD employee, despite the building also housing the department’s Internal Affairs Bureau.

Google is the its 10-story, 500,000-square-foot office building’s biggest tenant, taking up about 410,556 square feet of office space, the Commercial Observer reports. The location is part of Google’s larger Hudson Square campus, a more than $1 billion investment in its New York operations.

“We are aware of an incident that occurred today in the lobby at 315 Hudson, a building we share with other tenants,” a Google spokesperson told the New York Post in a statement. “While the individual appeared to be seeking access to another tenant’s space in the building, we remain in close contact with local authorities. We are grateful to first responders.”

The building also houses NYPD and other city offices, along with the New York Society for the Deaf and other businesses. On the street level, tenants include Sweetgreen and Joe & the Juice, while furniture company From the Source/FTS Studio also has space there, according to Connectcre.

Police have not said why Butch allegedly set himself on fire or whether he had any connection to the tenant he appeared to be trying to reach.

The investigation remains ongoing.

The Independent has contacted Google and the NYPD for comment.