A former New York college professor who was arrested in April for allegedly attempting to burn down St. Patrick’s Cathedral found unfit to stand trial earlier this month.
From the North Jersey Record, Marc Lamparello, 37, was indicted on attempted arson and reckless endangerment charges. His lawyer revealed that a court-appointed psychiatrist deemed him mentally incompetent.
Two days after the blaze at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Lamparello was allegedly caught carrying a can of gasoline and lighters in St. Patrick’s. He reportedly told officers that he ran out of gas and was cutting through the cathedral to get to a neighboring road where his minivan was parked.
Authorities later learned that Lamparello purchased a one-way plane ticket from Newark to Rome, Italy, and booked a hotel 20 minutes from the Vatican, the news outlet reported.
The same week, Essex County police arrested Lamparello at Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, New Jersey, after he allegedly threw himself on the floor and rebuffed orders to leave. Officers charged him with trespassing and obstruction, and EMS crews assessed his mental health before his mother picked him up, according to the Daily Voice.
Prosecutors are in the process of reviewing the psychiatrist’s assessment. Meanwhile, Lamparello has been remanded and his arraignment was rescheduled to June 7.
[Featured image: Marc Lamparello/Essex County Sheriff’s Office]
