Prosecutors today charged Rogers Park man with arson for setting a Chicago Police Department squad car on fire during riots in the River North neighborhood in May.
Jacob Fagundo, age 22, of the 6600 block of North Ashland is charged with four counts of felony arson. He is due in bond court Friday.
During a bond hearing on Friday, prosecutors said Fagundo deleted his social media presence after police received an anonymous tip that accused Fagundo of being the arsonist. Fagundo turned himself in to police the next day. The tipster apparently recognized Fagundo from video and photos of arson suspects that were recently released by law enforcement.
Prosecutors said Fagundo participated in setting fire to the police vehicle around 6:50 p.m. on May 30 after officers left it parked on the lower level of Michigan Avenue near the Chicago River. Police have also given the address of the fire as 30 East Kinzie.
Fagundo was seen removing an object from his backpack and throwing it through the squad car’s broken window, setting the vehicle on fire, according to prosecutors.
According to a November 2019 Facebook post, Fagundo is an artist who “makes paintings that address intimacy and domesticity through careful consideration and manipulation of the composition.”
Fagundo’s attorney, Robert Kerr, said he is a senior at the Art Institute of Chicago with no criminal background.
Judge Arthur Willis set bail for Fagundo at $25,000 and ordered him to go onto electronic monitoring if he can post a 10% deposit bond.