Officers on patrol in New York City arrested a man for allegedly setting a marked patrol car on fire earlier this month.
The plain clothes officers spotted Anthony Phillips, 51, and recognized him from a wanted flyer in connection to the Jan. 6 arson, according to a senior NYPD official.
For more than three weeks, police have been on the lookout for the man responsible for burning the patrol car parked at the Pelham Bay Park 6 subway stop.
The NYPD tweeted a photo of the damage following the incident, noting the officers had parked their cruiser on the street and walked away to inspection the station.
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"When they returned, their patrol car was engulfed in flames. Officers quickly put out the fire, and no injuries were reported," the department wrote.
Phillips was taken into custody without incident. He's expected to be charged on Monday, the senior official said.
Contact information for his legal defense was not immediately known.
