Teen accused of torching Mississippi synagogue posted hospital selfie of severe burns hours after attack



The man accused of torching a Mississippi synagogue posted a graphic selfie hours after the antisemitic attack showing off his nasty burns.

Stephen Pittman, 19, shared the grisly shot on Snapchat Saturday — the same day Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson was gutted by a pre-dawn inferno, the Clarion Ledger reported.

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Pittman raised his swollen and severely burned left hand in the photo while his bemused face was covered in pink scorch marks.

Stephen Pittman, 19, posted the photo of the synagogue fire. Snapchat/Spencer Pittman

It remains unclear whether he was in custody when the selfie was posted, but Pittman was arrested Saturday after his father found him covered in burns and he allegedly confessed to the crime.

Beth Israel was left severely damaged after the fire, which was set by a masked individual caught on security footage dumping a can of gasoline across its lobby and halls.

The blaze destroyed the synagogue’s library and administrative offices along with several valuable Torahs, but the rest of the building was mercifully spared and there were no casualties.

Pittman was turned in to police by his father, and the teen allegedly confessed once he was in custody.

The alleged hateful arsonist called Beth Israel a “synagogue of Satan” when investigators questioned him, according to an FBI affidavit.

Beth Israel’s library was destroyed, along with its administrative offices. Several valuable Torahs were also lost. Beth Israel Congregation
Pittman allegedly confessed to the arson attack, telling investigators he targeted the building for its Jewish ties. X/Spencer Pittman

He also allegedly owned up to burning the synagogue for its “Jewish ties,” and sent his father photos from the crime scene.

“Pittman laughed as he told his father what he did and said he finally got them,” the federal affidavit read.

A phone belonging to Pittman was also found at the scene.

This was just the latest attack on Beth Israel.

The synagogue was founded in 1860, and moved to its current location just over 100 years later in 1967 — the same year local Ku Klux Klansmen bombed the building for its rabbi’s staunchly pro-Civil Rights views.

Pittman was charged with maliciously damaging a building by means of fire.


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