Fox News put up another massive Christmas tree after their previous one was burnt down by a homeless arsonist last week.
The new metal-framed artificial tree was rebuilt by workers on Thursday, and the new iteration features red and white ornaments and a large red star.
Members of the FDNY and NYPD attended a ceremony in New York’s Midtown, hosted by “The Five,” who counted down until the festive 50-foot artificial fir was lit up in all of it’s holiday glory.
“Fox really knows how to bounce back don’t we?” said commentator Jesse Watters. “We’re thankful for the security team that tackled this [arsonist].”
Craig Tamanaha, 49, a homeless man connected to a series of low-level crimes, allegedly torched the tree in front of Fox News’ parent News Corp., after the network lit it up live during last Sunday’s “All-American” Christmas special, causing $500,000 in damage.
Tamanaha was arrested and released on bail Wednesday as a result of prosecutors reducing the 7 charges against him to just 3, and the state’s lax bail reform laws. He was arraigned for felony second-degree criminal mischief, misdemeanor second-degree reckless endangerment and misdemeanor fifth-degree arson.
According to a detective, Tamanaha admitted that he had ”been thinking about lighting the tree on fire all day long,” after his arrest, though denied the act in court, “I didn’t do it.”In a video taken as he was exiting the courtroom, Tamanaha screamed obscenities on the way out and shouted “The moms that want to rape their f—-king daughter’s — they set it on fire,” at reporters.
This is reportedly not the first time he’s been up to criminal mischief in New York City. According to a freelance photographer, Tamanaha “was acting weird and pulled down his pants” outside of Ghislaine Maxwell trial on Nov. 29. He was escorted away by police, but not arrested.
He must report back to court on Jan. 4, and could have to serve two to seven years if convicted.
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How foolish that this dangerous man was released. Yet, you still have people who didn’t do any damage still be held in jail for the January 6th nonsense.