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Man in custody after Christmas tree outside Fox News building set on fire, police say
A 49-year-old man has been taken into custody after a Christmas tree outside the Fox News building in Manhattan appeared to have been set on fire, police say.
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A 49-year-old man has been taken into custody after a large Christmas tree outside the Fox News building in Manhattan appeared to have been set on fire overnight, police have said.
In a statement on Wednesday, the New York Police Department said Fox News security members had spotted a man climbing the Christmas tree outside the News Corp. building in midtown Manhattan at around 12:15 a.m.
The decorated tree was then engulfed in flames, with video posted to social media showing its branches ablaze.
Upon arrival, NYPD officers saw a man running from the scene and apprehended him. Police did not name him.
The fire was quickly extinguished by firefighters responding to the incident and no injuries were reported, according to a statement from the NYPD.
NYPD spokesperson Detective Adam Navarro told NBC News that as of around 5 a.m. Wednesday morning, charges were still pending.
Footage shared on social media after the fire had been put out revealed the damage, with the top half of the tree and its decorations burned away, with just the frame and a star-shaped tree topper intact.
Fox News did not immediately respond to a request for comment.