Just days after flames ravaged the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, a New Jersey man was arrested Wednesday night after entering St. Patrick’s Cathedral carrying two cans of gasoline, lighter fluid and butane lighters, according to the New York Police Department.

The unidentified 37-year-old man had pulled up in a minivan outside the landmark cathedral on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, walked around the area, then returned to his vehicle at 7:55 p.m. and retrieved the gasoline and lighter fluid, said NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism John Miller.

“As he enters the cathedral he’s confronted by a cathedral security officer who asks him where he’s going and informs him he can’t proceed into the cathedral carrying these things,” said Miller.

Read | Notre Dame will be closed for up to 6 years

“At that point some gasoline apparently spills out onto the floor as he’s turned around.” Security then notified officers from the counter-terrorism bureau who were standing outside, Miller said. The officers caught up to the man and arrested him after he was questioned.

“His basic story was he was cutting through the cathedral to get to Madison Avenue. That his car had run out of gas,” Miller said. “We took a look at the vehicle. It was not out of gas and at that point he was taken into custody.”

“It’s hard to say exactly what his intentions were, but I think the totality of circumstances of an individual walking into an iconic location like St. Patrick’s Cathedral carrying over four gallons of gasoline, two bottles of lighter fluid and lighters is something that we would have great concern over,” Miller said.

“His story is not consistent.” Miller said the suspect is known to police, who are currently looking into his background.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral was built in 1878 and has installed a sprinkler-like system during recent renovations. Its wooden roof is also coated with fire retardant.</s>A man carrying lighters, canisters filled with gasoline and lighter fluid was arrested Wednesday evening at New York City's St. Patrick's Cathedral, police said, according to BuzzFeed News.

The arrest came days after a massive fire engulfed Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

John Miller, the New York Police Department Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism, told reporters Wednesday that authorities are investigating the motive of the man who was arrested.

ADVERTISEMENT "It's hard to say exactly what his intentions were but I think the totality of an individual walking into an iconic location carrying over four gallons of gasoline, two bottles of lighter fluid and lighters is something we would have great concern over. We're looking into his background and talking to a couple of other agencies," Miller said. BuzzFeed News reported that the man parked a van near the cathedral on Wednesday and attempted to bring the canisters, lighter fluid and lighters into the church. He was stopped by a security guard who told him he couldn't enter the church carrying flammable items, according to BuzzFeed News. The man was then questioned by authorities and gave "inconsistent" answers, Miller told BuzzFeed. "His answers were inconsistent and evasive, although he remained conversational with them and cooperative," Miller said.

Monday's massive fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral destroyed much of the cathedral, including its famous spire and some stained-glass windows. But the building was ultimately saved after authorities initially believed the fire would destroy it entirely.</s>There is currently a heavy police presence outside the cathedral on Fifth Avenue. The incident comes just days after flames ravaged the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.</s>A man carrying two canisters of gasoline, two bottles of lighter fluid and lighters into St. Patrick’s Cathedral was arrested Wednesday night, just two days after a massive blaze gutted the Notre Dame cathedral in France, according to New York City Police Department.

The 37-year-old man, who has not been identified by police, parked his minivan near the church, walked inside carrying the pair of two gallon canisters at 7:55 p.m. and was stopped and questioned by church security before leaving the church, police said.

“As he enters the cathedral he’s confronted by a cathedral security officer who asks him where he’s going and informs him he can’t proceed into the cathedral carrying these things,” said NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism John Miller. “At that point some gasoline apparently spills out onto the floor as he’s turned around.”

Officers from the NYPD Critical Response Command team were called and were able to locate the man, who told them he had run out of gas and wanted to cut through the cathedral to get to his destination.

Police checked his car and when they found it still had gasoline in its tank, he was taken into custody.

“It’s hard to say exactly what his intentions were, but I think the totality of circumstances of an individual walking into an iconic location like St. Patrick’s Cathedral carrying over four gallons of gasoline, two bottles of lighter fluid and lighters is something that we would have great concern over,” Miller said. “His story is not consistent.”

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.com’s newsletters.</s>St. Patrick's Cathedral at night, in Manhattan, New York. (Shutterstock)

According to the NYPD, the man had four gallons of gasoline, two cans of lighter fluid, and two lighters with him when he attempted to enter the cathedral.

NEW YORK - A man is in custody after he attempted to bring containers of gasoline into St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City Wednesday night.

A spokesperson from the Archdiocese of New York told CNA that “the individual was stopped as he tried to come into the cathedral” before he was turned over to the police.

The man was apprehended by cathedral security around 8 p.m. and taken into police custody by officers with the NYPD Critical Response Command. Police said he had a car nearby to escape the scene of the cathedral.

According to the NYPD, the man had four gallons of gasoline, two cans of lighter fluid, and two lighters with him when he attempted to enter the cathedral. He was prevented from entering by cathedral security, but while speaking with security personnel, some gasoline did spill onto the floor.

NBC New York identified the man as Marc Lamparello, whom police have said is 37-years-old and from Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey.

When questioned by police as to why he was attempting to bring containers of gasoline into New York City’s largest Catholic church, Lamparello gave “inconsistent answers.”

Deputy NYPD Commission John Miller told reporters Wednesday night the man eventually told police he was “cutting through the cathedral to get to Madison Avenue; that his car had run out of gas.”

After police inspected his minivan, and discovered that it was not out of gas, he was taken into custody.

Lamparello is thought to be “mentally disturbed,” police sources said. Until at least 2013, he worked as a music director at a NJ parish. He has also worked as an adjunct philosophy professor, and has a degree in philosophy from Boston College.

Police have not established a motive, and have not yet charged the man with a crime. Lamparello was described as being “known to police.”

The last scheduled Mass at the cathedral for Wednesday was celebrated at 5:30 p.m., per the cathedral’s website.

On Tuesday, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York City expressed concern for the safety of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which, like Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, also has a wooden roof.

“I thought of St. Patrick’s. I said, ‘Oh my Lord, are we safe?’” said Dolan of the Paris fire.

“Thank God the FDNY has been extraordinarily vigilant and helpful, because we’ve got a wooden roof too,” said Dolan.

This story is developing and is being updated</s>NEW YORK — A New Jersey man has been arrested after entering St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City with two cans of gasoline.

Police say the 37-year-old man was stopped by security after he entered the landmark cathedral in Manhattan just before 8 p.m. Wednesday.

As the man was turned, police say gasoline spilled out onto the floor. Security then notified nearby police who questioned the man outside the church and took him into custody.

Police say the man was carrying over four gallons of gas, two bottles of lighter fluid and two butane lighters.

Police are still talking to the man, who claimed his minivan had run out of gas.

The incident comes just days after flames ravaged the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris.</s>A New Jersey man has been arrested outside St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City with two jugs of gasoline.

Police say church personnel stopped the 37-year-old man from entering the landmark cathedral in Manhattan at about 9 p.m. Wednesday.

Authorities were investigating whether the unidentified man is emotionally disturbed.

There is currently a heavy police presence outside the cathedral on Fifth Avenue. The incident comes just days after flames ravaged the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which was built in 1878, has installed a sprinkler-like system during recent renovations and its wooden roof is coated with fire retardant.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.</s>Days after a fire damages the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, a man walks in another historic cathedral carrying gasoline, claiming he was taking a shortcut after his car ran out of fuel

NEW YORK, USA – A man was arrested Wednesday night, April 17, after entering St Patrick's Cathedral in New York carrying two cans of gasoline, lighter fluid and butane lighters, police said, just days after a fire badly damaged the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.

New York Police Department (NYPD) deputy commissioner John Miller said the arrested man claimed he was taking a shortcut through the cathedral after his car ran out of fuel, but his answers were "inconsistent and evasive."

"We don't know what his mindset was, what his motive was," Miller told a press conference on the steps of the cathedral, a neo-Gothic structure in the heart of Manhattan.

The man was confronted by a cathedral security officer and was told he cannot go inside carrying those items, according to the police.

"At that point, some gasoline apparently spills out onto the floor as he's turned around," Miller said.

After an alarm was raised, officers from the NYPD's counter-terrorism bureau caught up to the man and arrested him after questioning.

"His basic story was he was cutting through the cathedral... that his car had run out of gas," Miller said.

"We took a look at the vehicle. It was not out of gas and at that point he was taken into custody."

Miller said the 37-year-old suspect was "known to police," who are currently looking into his background.

Construction first started on St Patrick's Cathedral in the mid-1880s and was completed in 1878, although extensions have been added over the years and a major restoration was completed in 2015. – Rappler.com</s>A man was taken into custody at New York City’s famed St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Wednesday night while carrying two gas cans, three senior New York law enforcement officials with direct knowledge of the matter told NBC News.

There was no fire and the officials characterized the man as being emotionally disturbed. At least one of the cans contained gasoline, the officials told NBC News.

The Archdiocese of New York said in a statement that "the individual was stopped as he tried to come into the cathedral," and he was turned over to police.

“Nothing happened inside the cathedral," the Archdiocese said in the statement.

But the incident comes just days after the historic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris burned in what officials in France say they think could be an accident related to renovation work.

There was a large police and fire department presence at the St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, which is in Midtown.

The cornerstone of the iconic building in Midtown was laid in 1858 and it formally opened on May 25, 1879, according to the cathedral’s website. Pope Benedict XVI became the first pope to celebrate Mass there in 2008.

It underwent renovations since then, including a nearly $200 million restoration that was announced in 2015, and which was finished a year later, NBC New York reported.

The NYPD maintains a robust security presence at the Cathedral at all times.</s>The New York Post is reporting that a New Jersey man was arrested Wednesday night after walking into St. Patrick’s Cathedral with two gasoline cans, according to law enforcement sources.

The Post, citing sources, said the man “entered the Midtown church and was near the pews when he was spotted and grabbed by security.”

The incident comes just two days after the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris erupted in flames causing serious damage to the 700 year old cathedral.

It’s reported that an “emotionally disturbed” man carrying two canisters filled with gasoline was arrested by the New York Police Department.

“We are investigating an incident at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Expect a heavy police presence. Update to follow.”

This is Holy Week and St Patrick’s Cathedral grieved over the fire at Notre-Dame.

“The bells of St. Patrick’s rang at 12:50 PM today, marking the start of yesterday’s devastating fire at Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris. Cathedrals and churches throughout #France and the world rang their bells in honor of the great spiritual & cultural heritage of Notre-Dame.”

Holy Week services at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan draw thousands. Indeed, a lottery was held for tickets to attend the Easter Solemn Mass.

Holy Thursday services at St. Patrick’s, including a 12 noon mass and a Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 5:30 p.m.

The cornerstone of St. Patrick’s Cathedral was laid in 1858 and its doors opened in 1879.
A man carrying lighters, canisters filled with gasoline and lighter fluid is arrested at New York City's St. Patrick's Cathedral.