LGBTQ+ bar in New York City set alight in suspected arson attack
Rash Bar, a recently opened LGBTQ+ venue in Brooklyn, was targeted by an arsonist who set it ablaze on the evening of 3 April.
The suspect entered the venue, poured a bottle of flammable liquid on the floor and lit a match which set it ablaze, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) confirmed on 6 April.
The man in question quickly fled the scene. “It’s so hard to believe and process,” Jake Sillen, one of the owners of Rash Bar, told NBC News. “It’s more confusing than anything.” Three people were inside when the building became engulfed in flames, one of which was transported to a nearby hospital with minor burns.
Another was treated at the scene for their burns, the NYPD reported. Claire Bendiner, another of the venue’s co-owners, had stepped outside moments before the fire was started. “Everyone rushed out.
