Saint Joseph the Worker damaged twice by arson

Intermountain Catholic

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The outside window the arsonist chose to throw a fire bomb through is secluded from the street. He chose the same window in both arson attempts.

WEST JORDAN — A male juvenile, 17, was arrested by the West Jordan Police at 11:30 a.m. June 5, after being interviewed by West Jordan Fire Investigators following an attempt to set fire to Saint Joseph the Worker Church earlier that morning at 4 a.m. He was booked into a juvenile detention center and charged with three first-degree felony counts of aggravated arson, according to West Jordan Fire Department Assistant Chief Marc McElreath.

The suspect is allegedly responsible for attempting to set fire to Saint Joseph the Worker Church, 7405 South Redwood Road, West Jordan, June 5 and May 30. The suspect is also allegedly responsible for attempting to set fire May 31, to an LDS Church on 1300 West Bora Bora Drive, in the same area. In all three incidents the perpetrator threw an incendiary device through a window.

"This is terrifying," said Anne Kurek, St. Joseph the Worker Parish administrative secretary. "It instills a sense of terror in you and it is scary to look at the damage. There is a lot of wood in this chapel and it could have really burned.

"Somebody driving by at 4 a.m., who had just gotten off work, saw flames coming out the window," said Kurek. "She banged on Father Patrick Carley’s door. Fr. Carley is pastor of St. Joseph the Worker Parish. By the time he dressed and got over to the church, the West Jordan Fire Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) were already arriving. The FBI was there because this was the second arson attempt within six days. We are lucky the whole church did not go up in flames.

"There are scorch marks on the floor, the drapes are completely burned, there is broken glass all over, and there is a smell of gasoline. We never received any threats. When this happened the first time, we found a coke can that still had gasoline in it. The second time, it was an energy drink can. This is not just a prank."

"On May 30, our caretaker went into the church and found a window broken on the north side, and an effort had been made to burn the church," said Fr. Carley. "A soda can filled with gasoline had been lighted and tossed into the window. Fortunately it fizzled. It burned up a curtain and caused a little smoke damage on the wall, but very little.

"We called the West Jordan Fire Department and the West Jordan Police Department, and there was not much that could be done," said Fr. Carley because there were no fingerprints. "Then we patched up the window, but we had not yet completely fixed it, when early June 5, at 4 a.m., a young lady who lives in the neighborhood saw flames flickering in the church and called 911. The police and fire department were arriving, so I went in, saw another pane of glass had been broken, a can with gasoline, and this time the lower pane was still burning. I grabbed the nearest water container I could find, which was a holy water container and doused the flame.

"The young woman, who awakened me, had seen somebody leaving the area on a skateboard," said Fr. Carley. "With that description, the police canvassed the area, spoke to neighbors, and tracked him down. He lives in this area.

"I am glad this is solved because we would not like to have an anonymous fire bomber at large and continue to be at risk. But I bear no animosity toward this juvenile," said Fr. Carley. "I do not wish to see any harm come to him. I would simply like to see him get help and set on the road to having a good productive life.

"These are three serious crimes, and it is just a tragedy," said Fr. Carley. "Very little harm was done to the church. The harm in the life of the child is disproportionate to the damage done to the church. The intent was serious to burn down the church. Then again, it is the intent of a child, a 17 year old. He is immature and unformed as yet. He has to realize the damage he caused, and far greater damage he might have caused had the fire taken off.

"You have to wonder what experience he has had that generates this, but certainly we bear no malice toward him," said Fr. Carley. "We say God bless him.

"We are planning to demolish the church anyway within the foreseeable future to build a new church," said Fr. Carley. "We are busily trying to raise money for a new church, though the going is difficult because we are a working class parish and do not have the deep pockets with which some other parishes might be blessed. But we began last fall by having fund raisers and we will continue to chip away at it."

Fr. Carley plans to visit the juvenile and his family if they will see him.