Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Police footage captures moment Bushwick club set ablaze
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Apr 6, 2022
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
DCPI
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Apr 6, 2022
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Harrowing surveillance footage released by the NYPD on Wednesday shows the moment a Bushwick night club went up in flames in a suspected act of arson that officials are now investigating as a possible hate crime, police said.
The Sunday night fire left two people hospitalized at Rash, a queer-friendly nightclub on Willoughby and Myrtle avenues. Witnesses said that just a handful of people were inside the venue when a man in his 20s wearing a hoodie and jeans began pouring gasoline on the floor.
Those accounts were confirmed in a newly released video, which shows the suspect emptying a gas can on the floor of the venue, then setting the pool of liquid ablaze. Flames shot up in an instant, nearly reaching the ceiling of the venue.
“It was really terrifying. I was downstairs and came up and saw that,” said Tyler Glenn, a 25-year-old bartender who was trapped in the fire and suffered second degree burns to their face while trying to escape. “It happened so fast.”
At a press conference on Wednesday, Chief of Detectives James Essig said the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force was helping to investigate the incident, noting that the bar was frequented by LGBTQ patrons.
Police released this image of the Bushwick fire suspect purchasing gas at a nearby gas station, the NYPD said.
NYPD
Police also released a photo showing the suspect with a red container purchasing gas from a nearby gas station prior to the blaze. The motivation for the crime remains unknown, Essig added.
But the fire has stoked fears of a pattern of attacks on queer nightlife spaces in recent months, with many pointing to recent incidents at Bossa Nova Civic Club and C’Mon Everybody.
“This isn’t the first time it has happened,” Janus Rose, an electronic music producer who performs in Bushwick, told Gothamist earlier this week. “It’s terrifying to realize that this kind of violence is becoming a pattern in our community.”
Tagged
fire
bushwick
Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
A sixth person dies after falling ill in NYPD custody this year
The 54-year-old was hospitalized twice after his arrest Friday, police said.
By
Ryan Kost
Published Oct 4, 2026 at 4:44 p.m. ET
NJ reports first West Nile Virus death of the year
While the national West Nile Virus trend has slowed down, activity in the Garden State has picked up.
By
Michael Sol Warren
News
NJ reports first West Nile Virus death of the year
While the national West Nile Virus trend has slowed down, activity in the Garden State has picked up.
By
Michael Sol Warren
NY's prison system is in crisis. It's driving staff away from the job.
By
Emily Russell
NYPD searching for suspect after fatal stabbing in Queens
By
Ben Feuerherd
NYPD: 2 suspects in off-duty officer stabbing tried to rob victim
By
Jill Webb
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .