Crime and Courts

Upstate NY Man Pleads Guilty to Arson Charges in Molotov Attack on NYPD Vehicle

The 30-year-old Saugerties man was charged with providing materials to a woman who threw a Molotov cocktail at a parked NYPD vehicle in Crown Heights in 2020

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An Upstate New York man admitted to his alleged role in an arson attack on an NYPD vehicle last year during a Brooklyn protest.

In Brooklyn federal court Friday, Timothy Amerman pleaded guilty to a felony charge of engaging in a civil disorder conspiracy to interfere with law enforcement activity in connection with the 2020 attack.

The 30-year-old Saugerties man was charged with providing materials to Samantha Shader. While participating in a protest march during the early morning hours of May 31, 2020, Shadler allegedly constructed a Molotov cocktail and threw it at an NYPD vehicle parked in Crown Heights. Four members of the NYPD were in the vehicle at the time of the incident.

During his court appearance Friday, Amerman admitted to providing glass bottles to Shader which he knew would be used by her to use against the NYPD during a protest march.

At the time of Shader’s arrest by the NYPD, a note from Amerman was found in Shader’s vehicle. During interviews with law enforcement officers, Amerman acknowledged providing the materials to Shader.

Amerman was ordered to continue home confinement with electronic monitoring and travel restrictions. No date was set for sentencing.

Shader was indicted on federal arson and civil disorder charges in June of last year. She is in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn awaiting trial.

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