Updated Jan. 13, 2026, 2:47 p.m. CT
- A 19-year-old man is accused of arson at the Beth Israel Congregation synagogue in Jackson, Mississippi.
- The suspect allegedly confessed to the crime, citing the synagogue’s “Jewish ties” as his motive.
- He sustained burns to his hands, face, and ankles and posted a photo of his injuries from a hospital bed.
- The man faces both federal arson charges and a state charge of first-degree arson enhanced as a hate crime.
Stephen Spencer Pittman, the 19-year-old alleged arsonist of Beth Israel Congregation synagogue in Mississippi, made a social media post with a hospital photo of himself with apparent burn wounds in the hours after the fire.
The fire occurred at approximately 3 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 10, at the Jackson synagogue. The Jackson Fire Department responded and was able to contain and extinguish the blaze. No congregants or firefighters were injured in the blaze.
The photo, which has been seen by some people, was posted Saturday, Jan. 10, to Snapchat and shows Pittman in a hospital bed, holding up his hand with apparent burns.
Court documents filed Monday, Jan. 12, state Pittman suffered burns to his ankles, hands and face in Saturday’s fire. When Pittman appeared in federal court Monday afternoon via a video call from what appeared to be a hospital bed, both of his hands were visibly wrapped in bandages.
According to investigators, Pittman allegedly referred to Beth Israel as the “synagogue of Satan” and confessed to lighting a fire inside the building due to the synagogue’s “Jewish ties.”
An affidavit states that once Pittman was confronted by his father about what happened Saturday morning, Pittman confessed to the crime. Pittman also allegedly “laughed as he told his father what he did and said he finally got them.”
Pittman’s Instagram, which was still active as of Tuesday morning, Jan. 13, has several posts with Christian statements as well as a statement in his bio that reads “Follower of Christ.” He also has one post that was dated Jan. 9 that is an animated short, where a character exclaims in surprise “a Jew in our backyard.”
Pittman previously stated in court that he was a high school graduate and had three semesters of college. Pittman was a former student and baseball player at St. Joseph Catholic School in Madison and a baseball player at Coahoma Community College. Both schools have made statements condemning Pittman’s alleged actions.
Coahoma is a public historically Black community college, though many of its baseball players are white. Pittman no longer has a bio on the college’s baseball roster, noting a 404 error when searched. He is not listed as having recorded any statistics, though his Instagram shows images of him playing for Coahoma.
Pittman faces a federal arson charge as he allegedly, maliciously damaged or destroyed a building by means of fire/an explosive. If convicted, Pittman faces five-to-20 years in federal prison, a fine of up to $250,000, three years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment.
Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens announced Tuesday that Pittman also faces a state charge of first-degree arson in connection to the incident. The charge is further enhanced under a hate crime provision, alleging the offense was committed because of the actual or perceived religion of the victim.
Any state sentence handed down would be in addition to federal charges, if Pittman is convicted. It is too soon to know whether a state sentence would be served consecutively or concurrently with federal charges.
What is Stephen Spencer Pittman accused of?
According to the affidavit filed in U.S. Southern District Court of Mississippi, during an interview with representatives of the FBI, Jackson Fire Department and Hinds County Sheriff’s Office, Pittman “admitted to starting a fire inside the Beth Israel Congregation/ISJL building.”
Beth Israel is Jackson’s oldest synagogue, dating to before the U.S. Civil War. Nearly 60 years ago, the Ku Klux Klan bombed both the temple’s office and former Rabbi Perry Nussbaum’s home in November 1967. No one was killed during that incident.
Pittman allegedly traveled from his residence in Madison County and stopped at Mac’s Gas on U.S. Highway 51 in Ridgeland to purchase the fuel used for the fire. He also took his license plate off at the gas station before heading to the synagogue.
While there, Pittman allegedly texted his father, with messages such as, “‘Hoodie is on,’ and, ‘And they have the best cameras.'”
The affidavit states Pittman’s father pleaded with his son to return home, but Pittman replied by saying he was “due for a homerun” and “I did my research.”
Once at the synagogue, Pittman allegedly used an axe to break a window out of the building, poured the gas inside the building and used a torch lighter to start the fire.
Security camera footage released later by the synagogue showed a masked and hooded person, now alleged to be Pittman, using a gas container to pour a liquid on the floor and a couch in the building’s lobby.
Evidence from Pittman’s father, Life360 data on Pittman’s phone, text messages and the burns on Pittman’s body all supported Pittman’s confession, according to investigators.
Pittman’s legal counsel Michael Scott, an attorney from the Federal Public Defender’s Office, previously stated his client remains hospitalized for medical treatments but is expected to be released Wednesday, Jan. 14.
Magistrate Judge Andrew Harris remanded Pittman into the custody of the U.S. Marshal’s Office to await a court hearing set for 3 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20.
Pam Dankins is the breaking news reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Have a tip? Email her at pdankins@gannett.com.
